Sailor Moon Exposed : Series
by MayGirl85
Summary: The entire Sailor Moon Exposed series combined. Original story and five sequels in the one post. Over 1,000 reviews received when first posted. Enjoy.
1. Sailor Moon Exposed Part 1

Disclaimer:

I dont own Sailor Moon at all. Not even one DVD.

This is my first fanfic - sorry, I havent figured out how to make it into chapters yet.

I'm sorry for the full stops between paragraphs, for some reason it wont recognise the spaces between them.

**Sailor Moon Exposed**

**CHAPTER 1: IDENTITY CONCEALED**

"Watch out Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mars cried as the youma projected fiery missiles at the blonde super heroine.

Sailor Moon turned and gasped as she felt the heat of the missiles bearing down upon her – there was no time to dodge it! She suddenly felt two strong arms lifting her up and away into the air and away from danger. She looked up to see the masked face of Tuxedo Mask outlined against the Tokyo night sky.

"Now Sailor Moon!" he commanded, as he let her down on a nearby rooftop.

"Right," she replied. Calling her attack signale her voice rang out into the night, "Moon Tiara Magic!" She flung her weapon with all her might against the enemy. The youma dissipated into dust with a howl. The fight was over.

"Good work Sailor Moon, until we meet again," Tuxedo Mask said, tipping his top hat to her as he leapt from the rooftop.

Sailor Moon sighed, turning her eyes from the departing hero to the moondusted pile of ash. Another youma, another late night for Sailor Moon.

**The Next Day**

"Serena Tsukino wake up!" Luna said with her usual annoyance. "Wake up this instant! You're going to be late!"

"Ohhh 5 more minutes…"

"No NOW!" Luna said as she dug her claws into Serena's side.

"YEOOOWW," Serena cried as she flipped over and out of the bed, crashing heavily on the floor. Looking at her alarm radio she moaned, "I'm going to be late agaaaain!", leaping out of bed. Ten minutes later she was running at break-neck speed to school and muttering to herself in her sing-song voice, "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! I'm going to get deten-"

BAM, WHACK, THUD.

"Ouch, hey watch it meatball head," a familiar voice said, causing Serena Tsukino to explode in fit of righteous rage.

"MY NAME IS SERENA!" she screamed at him.

"You are hardly serene, meatball head, and if you were as dedicated to school as you are every other morning crashing into me then maybe you wouldn't be late all the time."

"YOU should talk JERK, because that must mean YOU'RE ALWAYS LATE TOO!" she shouted at him, giving him one last evil glare before picking herself up and running in the direction of Juungan High School.

Darien watched the blonde pigtails fly away down the road before looking at his watch. He groaned, slapping himself on the forehead, "She's right! I AM late!"

**That Evening**

Serena trudged out of school after her hour of detention, completely worn out.

"Stupid youma, cant they attack at a decent hour so I can get some sleep?" she muttered. She rounded a corner and found herself walking by Central Arcade.

"Maybe just one game…" she said to herself.

It was only 4:45, she could spare 15 minutes before she had to be home for dinner.

"Hey Serena," Andrew called, "You wanna chocolate shake?"

Serena brightened, "Sure Andrew, thanks!"

"Meatball head shouldn't you be at home studying or something?" Darien interrupted dryly, looking up from his coffee.

Andrew looked at Serena nervously. Serena's brightened countenance had fallen to unforgiving she-devil as she prepared to launch a verbal attack on the most annoying guy she had ever met. Andrew decided right now was a good time to do some dishes in the back kitchen, while Darien just smirked and waited for the fireworks. But as suddenly as her mood had shifted, it shifted again to panic.

"Bye Andrew! Can I get a rain check on that milkshake?" she yelled over her shoulder as she ran out of the Arcade.

"Wow Darien, you sure got lucky today. Something must be on her mind," Andrew noted, seeing the coast was clear and he could safely return to the front counter.

"Er yeah," Darien said, fidgeting in his seat. "Um sorry Andrew but I have to go too. Just remembered something important myself," Darien murmured, tossing some coins on the counter for his coffee as he left.

"Those two are weird," Andrew sighed, shaking his blonde head.

.

Serena raced some way down the street before finding a safe place to transform. "Moon Prism Power!" she cried, throwing her hand up in the air as she transformed from klutzy schoolgirl into super heroine Sailor Moon. Having transformed she checked her communicator, the screen blipped and Sailor Mercury's face came onto the screen.

"What is it Mercury? Trouble?"

"It's always trouble Sailor Moon. It's in the Taipan Fish Market District. A water youma is causing some serious damage."

"I'll be there in 15 minutes, I'm on the other side of town. Hold on till I get there!"

"Ok!" the screen blipped again and Sailor Mercury was gone.

Sailor Moon groaned in annoyance, "Now I'm going to be late for dinner!"

.

Darien found a quiet alleyway to transform into Tuxedo Mask. Standing there in his hero get-up, his senses turned his eyes upward to where he saw Sailor Moon leaping from rooftop to rooftop toward the eastern side of town. His breath caught slightly as she gracefully leapt, her face set with purpose and her hair blowing out into the night sky. Stealing himself for battle, he followed.

.

"Where IS Sailor Moon?" Sailor Mars cried out in frustration. Seeing the youma prepare to attack again she called out her battle cry, "Mars fire… IGNITE!" Flames tore through the youma, but did not finish it.

"She'd better get here quick! My water attacks are useless against a water monster," Ami said, dodging another attack from the monster.

"Hey you there with the dodgy blue hairdo! I am Sailor Moon and on behalf of the Moon I will punish you!"

"It's about time!" Sailor Jupiter muttered, thankful that Sailor Moon's usual speech had distracted the youma for the moment. Finally she could catch a breath!

The youma looked at Sailor Moon evilly as it flung a watery arm up at her. The arm extended the distance between them and would have knocked her flying had Tuxedo Mask not pulled her out of harm's way.

"Be careful Sailor Moon!" he said sternly.

Sailor Moon looked up at her hero with star-struck eyes, but mentally slapped herself out of it and turned to face the battle. She did have to be more careful.

The fight raged on, with the Sailor Scouts giving blow for blow to the youma. Finally, with the youma distracted by Sailor Venus, Sailor Moon took the opportunity to begin her Moon Tiara attack. She began the series of movements that would power-up the Tiara as her mouth began to form the attack signale - until she saw that the youma was headed straight for Tuxedo Mask! She froze, breaking the attack cycle.

"What are you doing Sailor Moon?! Hit it with all you have!" Sailor Mars screamed at her from the street.

But Sailor Moon wasn't listening; she was diving toward Tuxedo Mask as the youma attacked him with her water cannon. She pushed him out of the way as the water ball came hurtling toward them, only to be hit in the side herself. The injured Sailor Scout fell to the ground, unconscious.

"One down, four to… WHAT!" the youma shrieked as the remaining Sailor Scouts combined their attacks.

"Mars fire...IGNITE!"

"Jupiter thunder...CRASH!"

"Venus crescent V... SMASH!"

"Mercury bubbles...BLAST!"

"Noooo!" cried the monster, as its form crumbled into a puddle on the street below.

Tuxedo Mask meanwhile looked in horror as Sailor Moon lay there silent and still. "Sailor Moon?" he gasped, dismayed she had been hurt protecting him. "I'm the one meant to protect you," he said more gently, taking the unconscious form of Sailor Moon into his arms and leaping away silently into the night as the the Sailor Scouts regrouped on the city street below, tired from battle.

"Sailor Moon, you're such an idiot!" Sailor Mars shouted at the rooftops.

There was no reply.

"Sailor Moon, what were you thinking!" Sailor Jupiter yelled out.

Again, no reply.

"Sailor Moon?" Sailor Venus called.

"Guys, she isn't here. My Mercury Computer says that she is travelling quite quickly toward Tokyo Garden," Mercury interjected.

"But why would she be going there?" Jupiter asked.

"Hey, where is Tuxedo Mask?" Sailor Venus suddenly asked.

The girls looked at each other with a sudden chill down their spines, realising Tuxedo Mask had kidnapped their leader.

**CHAPTER 2: IDENTITY REVEALED**

Tuxedo Mask stared at the unconscious heroine in his arms. Tearing his eyes from her, he took one final leap and landed neatly in the centre of Tokyo Garden, his cape billowing out around him. He couldn't believe what he had just done. What had possessed him to make off with the leader of the Sailor Scouts? Surely they could have taken care of their fallen leader? She stirred slightly in his arms. Standing, he easily held the slim weight of her and stepped beneath the privacy of a weeping willow. He sat against the trunk of the tree, Sailor Moon in his lap. For the first time, he was able to get a close look at the girl he had been instinctively protecting all this time.

_Surely she must be only a child, no more than 14 or 15_, he thought as he examined her pale face. His gaze travelled down her limp body. Even unconscious she radiated an unearthly beauty, her skin illuminated by the streaks of moonlight that managed to sneak between the willow's vines to caress her skin. Her legs were long and lean, though he knew they were strong. Her hands were pale and delicate.

_Are you quite done? _his conscience scolded him.

He blushed beneath his mask. Here he was, 18 years old, Tuxedo Mask, hero of Tokyo, underneath a weeping willow tree with Sailor Moon.

_Why am I here with her?_ he thought to himself again, becoming agitated. _There is no point in this. She is hurt but she is well_, he told himself sternly.

His senses prickled, informing him that that her senshei were near. Willing his arms to move her warm body from him, he placed her against the trunk of the tree and faded into the night.

.

Sailor Moon stirred.

"Sailor Moon!?" a voice cried out, calling her from her grogginess.

"Sailor Scouts?" she called softly, her throat parched from the cool night air.

"Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mars cried, rushing through the vines of the willow tree to her.

"Are you ok?" Sailor Jupiter asked as she followed behind Mars.

"I'm ok guys. I just took a nasty fall," Sailor Moon lied, knowing that the pain in her side meant she had broken ribs.

"I'm so glad. We were worried when Tuxedo Mask made off with you like that," Sailor Venus cried, throwing her arms around Sailor Moon.

"I... he..what?!" Sailor Moon squeaked, wincing slightly at the pressure of Sailor Venus' hug.

"Yeah, he just took off with you. It was really strange," Sailor Jupiter said with curiosity in her eyes.

"Well I'm fine now guys. He must have thought I was still in danger or something..." Sailor Moon's voice trailed off. She suddenly realised how late it was, and rose to her feet, again wincing slightly at the pain in her side, "Well guys, we had best be going. We super heroines do have school tomorrow," she said, managing to let out a soft giggle despite the pain in her side.

.

Tuxedo Mask watched the girls from the shadows. He saw every wince of Sailor Moon, and knew she had been badly hurt. His eyes narrowed, the need to protect her rising up in him. Why he felt this way he didn't know; but there it was, the driving force in his super hero career.

_You'd think that maybe I would feel the need to save the world or something and not just one girl every other night_, he thought wryly. He watched as the girls began to depart, each one going her separate way and resolved to follow Sailor Moon. _Just in case_, he reasoned with himself.

He stalked her quiet form in the night. She moved quickly and he saw that she was unafraid, but was definitely hurting. He observed the area around him. They were in a neighbourhood not far from his usual Arcade haunt.

_Odd,_ he thought, _Can Sailor Moon actually live here?_ He almost allowed himself to laugh out loud. Of COURSE she had to live somewhere! His mirth however fell into serious contemplation. She had been near the Arcade when he had first seen her today, Could he have ever passed her in the street when she was dressed normally and not as Sailor Moon? He almost laughed aloud again. No way, he would know her on sight.

He turned his attention back to Sailor Moon who had been carefully observing the area around her. For a moment he grew concerned. Had she seen him? He peered at her from his hiding place and saw that she had not seen him. Her eyes closed and he became worried she would faint. But she did not faint; instead she sighed as her fuka faded away to reveal Serena Tsukino.

**CHAPTER 3: SURPRISE**

Tuxedo Mask, aka Darien Chiba damn well nearly shouted his disbelief into the night. Somehow he managed to overcome the urge with his superhuman strength, thanking God that he, at the moment, did happen to possess superhuman strength in his hero form.

"Oh!" Serena's whimper broke the stillness of the night. He saw her sink to her knees, clutching at her side.

"Serena! Serena are you all right!?" a motherly voice called to the young girl.

Tuxedo Mask silently thanked God again; he had almost swept in there at the sound of her whimper.

"Come on Serena, they are all asleep. You don't have to worry," the unknown voice soothed.

Tuxedo Mask narrowed his eyes. His senses told him that there was no one there but Serena.

"Luna I'm ok, but I don't think my ribs are," Serena whispered through each painful breath.

Tuxedo Mask gaped as a small dark cat stepped into the moonlight next to Serena and began to speak, "You will be ok Serena. You always are. I know it hurts now but come on up to bed and tomorrow morning you will be ok."

"I know Luna," Serena replied TO THE CAT, "But it still hurts NOW."

Tuxedo Mask felt a headache coming on. Serena Meatball Head Tsukino was Sailor Moon AND had a talking cat.

"Luna, do you think it would be ok if I had a shower? Do you think it would wake them up?" Serena queried.

"I'm sure it won't if you are quick and quiet about it Serena," Luna replied. "I will stand watch."

"Thank you Luna."

Serena entered the bathroom and lit a small candle on the sink. Its soft light preferred to the bright light of the globe above her.

"My post-war ritual," she murmured to herself.

Slowly, painfully, she washed her aching body and massaged the tired muscles. Luna was right, her body would heal and she would be fine in the morning. It would be very difficult being Sailor Moon if she were always having to explain the various bruises and broken bones she sustained in her battles. Finishing her shower she slowly, painfully, dressed herself in her pyjamas and, utterly exhausted, crawled into bed. She moaned softly as her broken ribs cried out in pain at the weight of her body pressing them into the bed. Her eyes closed, and somewhere between sleep and consciousness she whispered, "Luna, I have a test tomorrow..." and promptly fell asleep.

.

Tuxedo Mask couldn't leave just yet. A part of him had to just look at her, Sailor Moon, Serena, one last time. He saw a soft light flicker on toward the back of the house.

Obviously Serena's room, he thought.

With all silence he leapt over the fence easily and into one of the trees near the window. He saw another softer light dancing in a second window to his right. Seeing the shadowy outline of Serena in the light, he modestly turned his face away. It was enough that he had discovered her identity! Eventually, the sound of running water ceased and the light was extinguished. Peering into Serena's bedroom, he saw her, small and fragile, crawl into bed. How long he sat in the tree and stared at her sleeping form he did not know.

_I cannot believe she is Sailor Moon._

_Serena is Sailor Moon._

_No wonder she is always late to school in the mornings._

_She's so young._

_She's so brave._

_She has a test tomorrow. No wonder she always does poorly in school. What time has she got to study when she's fighting youma all night?_

_She looks so peaceful._

Finally tearing himself from his thoughts, Tuxedo Mask knew it was time to leave. He leapt from the tree, his shadow momentarily passing by the window the only evidence he had ever been there.

**CHAPTER 4: IS SHE REALLY?**

**The Next Day**

Darien walked along the footpath toward Central Arcade, bracing himself for impact at any moment. But none came.

_Where is she_? he wondered.

.

An hour earlier Serena yawned, stretching her arms high above her head.

_No pain_, she thought.

Checking her sides, she was glad to see that she had fully healed, and that it was early in the morning.

"Early! Wow, must've healed up much better than I thought!" she smiled to herself.

"Good morning Serena, nice to see you up and early for a change," Luna said smartly as she leapt onto the bed.

"I know Luna, I think I might pop into Central Arcade and enjoy a hot breakfast this morning. Andrew will be so surprised!" she said with a giggle.

"Go on then Serena, you deserve it after last night's episode," Luna said kindly.

Dressing for school, Serena skipped down the stairs and toward Central Arcade.

**At Central Arcade**

"Hi Andrew! A banana milkshake and hot pancakes for breakfast please!" Serena said, smacking her lips together.

"Serena! Wow, it's really early to see you here," Andrew smiled.

"Yeah I know. COSMIC huh? But I woke up early and thought I would treat myself to a nice breakfast," Serena replied happily.

"Sure Serena, coming right up."

Serena opened her maths textbook on the counter. For once she got to study before a test! Maybe today she would pass! Happily entranced in her study, she did not here the chime of the bell as the Arcade doors slid open to reveal her worst enemy.

Darien froze. Serena was at the counter, READING some sort of book, and she looked... fine? He shook his head, maybe he was imagining things. Maybe he had imagined last night? He stood there dumbstruck at the girl before him.

"Hey Darien, grab a seat," Andrew called out to him.

Darien forced his legs to move, he sat beside the blonde girl who he knew last night had taken a beating but was now, it seemed, completely fine and actually up early. His eyes moved to the book she was reading. She was STUDYING!

Serena, meanwhile, had smelt the pancakes cooking in the kitchen and lifted her head at the welcome smell. She could almost taste them! She also now saw the dark figure seated beside her who was not there previously. She turned her head to see Darien THE WORLDS BIGGEST JERK Chiba staring at her with his eyes bugging out of his head.

"Whatcha want you annoying freak? Stop staring at me like that!" she demanded.

"Hey it's too early in the morning for that!" Andrew called from the kitchen.

Darien started to get a headache again. Maybe he had imagined last night. Maybe instead of Sailor Moon being the one hit by the youma's attack it had really been him and he'd hit his head. That would explain why Serena was fine.

"Andrew, can I please have my breakfast TO GO," Serena said pointedly, throwing a dirty look at Darien who was still staring at her.

Noticing himself still staring at her, Darien forced his face to turn to Andrew as he handed Serena her takeaway. Giving Andrew a smile, and Darien a you're-weirding-me-out-look, she hopped lightly from her stool and vanished through the doors of the Arcade.

"Darien, man, what's up? You are spaced out," Andrew queried his best friend.

"Oh... um... just surprised to see Meatball Head here, early, STUDYING."

"Oh yeah that," Andrew laughed. "Yeah it happens. Not often. But it happens every few weeks or so," Andrew said as he returned to the kitchen to do some washing up.

_Guess I was wrong_, Darien thought to himself, _I must be going crazy, no way klutzy Serena is Sailor Moon. I must've dreamt the entire fight or something like that. No way could Sailor Moon be ok after taking a beating the way she did last night... if last night had even happened_. Darien frowned and turned to follow her, determined to find out once and for all. Throwing Andrew a 'see-ya', he stalked out of the Arcade after the blonde girl.

"HEY MEATBALL HEAD!"

_Rack off Darien_, she thought, quickening her pace.

"SERENA!"

That made her stop in her tracks. She turned slowly around to see Darien oh-so-casually approaching her with an unusual look on his face.

"What do you want Darien?" she asked through clenched teeth. She'll be damned if she let him get to her today!

"Wasn't it a little late last night to be out in the Tokyo Gardens?" he inquired silkily.

Her mouth decided at that moment to go completely dry.

"Uh, HAHAHAHA Darien," she managed to choke out, one arm behind her head, sweat dropping, "What.. er.. makes you think I was at the Gardens?"

"I was there late last night. I thought I saw you. I think I could recognise those meat balls anywhere you know."

_Not bloody likely_, she thought derisively. She had been Sailor Moon for months now and no one had ever come close to guessing it was her. Not even smarty pants Darien Chiba!

"Um no Darien," she said, sticking her tongue out at him, "I was at home and in bed, not that it's any of YOUR business!"

She spun around on her heal, fully intending to storm off in a most spectacular fashion. Unfortunately her shoe caught on a crack and all she did was make a spectacular ass of herself as she started to fall face first toward the ground. She squealed with dread, waiting for the hard landing that was to come - but it never did. Strong arms caught her, and her small frame was lifted up into the air. She looked up, disoriented, and caught herself staring into dark blue eyes. Suddenly, she felt very uncomfortable.

"DARIEN JERKWAD CHIBA PUT ME DOWN!" she screamed, turning into a hellcat as she struggled against him, trying to get away. Darien, infuriatingly, only laughed at her useless struggling. He was so much stronger than her.

"Ok, ok meatball head. You're very welcome."

"Shut up you jerk! It's all your fault you know!"

"What's all my fault?"

"That I've spilt my breakfast everywhere!"

He sighed and put her down. Harrumphing, she turned her nose up at him and marched away to school.

Darien watched Serena go, a calculating look on his face. She hadn't winced once today. She looked... well fine. As if she hadn't even a scratch on her. He was so sure she was Sailor Moon, he didn't doubt what his eyes had witnessed last night. But her miraculous healing was curious.

_I'll bide my time. Sailor Moon will show up again, and when she does I will find out who the girl is behind the heroine_, he thought darkly.

**CHAPTER 5: EXPOSED**

**A Few Weeks Later**

**Friday Afternoon**

Darien sighed roughly as he walked along the footpath toward Central Arcade, scowling slightly. He hadn't seen Sailor Moon or the scouts for a few weeks now. The NegaForce had scaled down its attacks, but he knew that they were only regrouping and gathering strength for another attack. He knew with every fibre of his being that there would be another attack, and soon.

.

The blonde girl ran as fast as she could. She was late again for her meeting with the girls in Central Arcade.

"Raye's going to kill me!" she muttered under her breath.

Her heart pounding she raced toward the doors of Central Arcade. Her eyes caught sight of a familiar annoying person ahead of her. A wicked thought rose up in her mind as an evil smile curled upon her lips. He was too lost in his own thoughts when a small foot caught his ankle and its owner rushed by. Darien felt himself losing balance, falling forward and finally felt his chin hit pavement followed shortly thereafter by the rest of his body.

"Who's the meatball head now?!" Serena called mockingly over her shoulder, having thoroughly enjoyed seeing the great Darien fall from his high and lofty perch.

Darien cursed, his chin pulsating with pain. He picked himself up from the pavement, and stalked angrily toward the Arcade.

.

"Stupid idiot!" Serena smiled, very satisfied as she took her place next to Raye.

"Serena, glad to see you could make it," Raye said, rolling her eyes at her late friend.

"Yeah Serena, are you ready to go shopping?" Mina asked, her blonde hair bouncing around her face.

"Yup! All ready t-"Serena stopped midsentence as the doors of the Arcade slid open to reveal an incredibly ticked off Darien.

"Darien he-" Andrew began, also stopping when he saw the dark cloud of anger on his friend's face. Anger, he saw, directed straight at Serena. Looking to Serena Andrew only saw her smiling sweetly at Darien, her blue eyes full of innocence and yet sparkling with malicious joy.

"You..." Darien said, stalking toward her, finger pointed.

"Now Darien, I'm sure Serena-"

"Didn't mean to trip me?" Darien finished for his friend Andrew, still glaring at the blonde girl in front of him.

Sweat dropped on Andrew, Raye and Mina.

"Uh Serena look at the time! We HAVE to go! Sorry Andrew, later!" Mina quipped quickly, grabbing hold of Serena's arm.

"Yeah Andrew, off shopping! See ya!" Raye said tightly, helping Mina pull Serena out of the Arcade as quickly as humanly possible.

Serena only continued smiling that same smile, even daring to wink at Darien as the doors to the Arcade closed behind her. Darien, meanwhile, was going a very nice shade of blood red.

"Darien, mate, chill out, she's just a kid, you know?" Andrew suggested amiably.

"Oh I know alright," Darien said darkly.

"Hey Darien where are you going?" Andrew said with surprise as he saw his friend abruptly begin to follow the girls out of the Arcade.

"I'm going... to kill... no, torture and then kill her," Darien said icily under his breath, leaving his bewildered friend to stare after his disappearing figure.

Outside, Mina was giving Serena the third degree. "Serena, that was really mean," Mina admonished her friend as they headed in the direction of the Mall.

"But satisfying!" Serena replied jovially.

Suddenly they heard a scream, and then a dozen more cries as a purple cloud rose above the glass dome of the mall in front of them.

"NegaForce trouble!" Raye cried. "We had better transform and get in touch with the others!"

.

Darien had heard the screams too, having followed the girls as they headed to the Mall. He saw Serena duck off in one direction as her two friends left in another.

_They mustn't suspect her_, he thought to himself.

He looked around for a quiet place where he could transform into Tuxedo Mask. Transformed, he heard a small child scream from inside the mall and his instincts kicked him. He ran into the mall.

.

"I am Sailor Moon and I will punish you!" Sailor Moon declared to the huge green and purple snake-like monster hovering above her.

"Sailor Venus here!"

"Sailor Mercury too!"

"Don't forget me, Jupiter!"

"And me, Sailor Mars!"

The Sailor Scouts cried, joining their leader.

"I'll kill you all!" shrieked the fiend, shooting red pulsating energy from her fingertips.

The girls dived as the energy ball exploded the floor in front of them as concrete and marble rained down on them.

"Jupiter Thunder BLAST!" Jupiter cried, sending out shockwaves of electricity to the youma.

The youma cried out in anger as the electricity painfully ripped through her body. She turned her head to gaze evilly upon Sailor Jupiter before letting out a howl of rage and diving for the Sailor Scout. Jupiter was too quick, and ducked the attack before it could strike her.

"I want my mummy!" a child's voice cried out behind them.

The youma and the Sailor Scouts turned their heads toward a young boy hiding under a bench. The youma gave an evil hiss and leapt for the child.

"NO!" cried the Sailor Scouts.

_I have to save him_! Serena's mind and heart cried as she saw the youma go after the child. Gathering all her strength, she shot forward with a speed she had never known. The youma charged the boy from the front as Serena ran with all she had toward the boy from his side. Her eyes widened as she saw the youma fling out green energy toward the child from her mouth. All she could see was the boy as she leapt toward him, grasping him in her arms...

Tuxedo Mask saw Sailor Moon racing toward the boy. He watched her with a sense of pride in her courage and tenacity as she leapt toward the child. He suddenly realised that she would not be able to get out of the way in time. His hand reached out toward her as the green energy hit her body with great force. Her back arched, her eyes rolled back in her head. She fell to the ground, the child safe in her arms.

"NOOOO!" Tuxedo Mask ran to where Sailor Moon had fallen. Her body fell against his.

_WHY does she do this! Risk her life this way_! he thought angrily as the youma cackled in front of him.

"I knew she would do it. Stupid girl." The fiend spat. She turned to the other Scouts and laughed evilly, "I got one little pretty, now I will kill her little dogs too!"

Tuxedo Mask felt a hand on his should. Sailor Mercury was looking down at the fallen form of Sailor Moon. She could she Sailor Moon was seriously injured.

"Tuxedo Mask, can you take Sailor Moon and the boy somewhere safe. I would but this youma is strong and we need all the Sailor Scout power we have!" Sailor Mercury beseeched him.

Tuxedo Mask nodded. Lifting the unconscious form of Sailor Moon with the young boy hanging onto his back for dear life, he strode out of the Mall.

"Where is he taking her Mercury!" Sailor Mars cried angrily, watching Tuxedo Mask take Sailor Moon away.

"Just outside Mars. I asked him to. We need all the strength we have just to kill this thing!"

"Alright, but if he hurts her..." Mars warned, remembering the last time he had disappeared with Sailor Moon.

"Hurry up little girls! I haven't got all day!" the youma snapped angrily.

Turning back to the youma, the girls attacked.

.

"Mum! Mum!" the little boy cried, instantly releasing Tuxedo Mask from his tiny choke hold.

"Billy! I'm so glad you're safe!" his mother cried. "Thank you." She said to Tuxedo Mask.

He nodded at her as the woman's eyes drifted to Sailor Moon.

"Is that?!" she gasped.

Tuxedo Mask nodded again, "She was protecting your son."

"Oh, thank you Sailor Moon," the woman said gratefully, "She will be ok, won't she?" she asked him.

"She will. She's strong," he replied.

He watched the woman walk away with her child then turned his attention to the girl in his arms.

_Sailor Moon you fool. You could have died_, he silently berated her.

She moaned, opening her eyes slightly, "Tuxedo...?" she whispered, falling into unconsciousness as her head fell back and her body went limp. Tuxedo Mask looked around. They were too exposed. He had to take her somewhere safe and private. But where could they go in the middle of the day in Tokyo?

.

Sailor Moon awoke in a bed that wasn't her own, in a room she didn't recognise. She started to get up, but pain ripped through her body. She cried out, falling back to the bed.

"Hey, hey, you took a nasty blow there Sailor Moon. Stay still," a familiar voice soothed her.

Turning her eyes toward the voice, she saw none other than Tuxedo Mask. She began to panic and struggled to get up.

_What am I doing here_!? she thought wildly. She caught sight of herself in a mirror on dark drawers. _Thank goodness my fuka is still intact_, she thought, still struggling.

Strong hands pushed her back onto the bed and her eyes, full of fear, connected with his.

"What am I doing here?" she rasped.

"You were hit by an attack at the Mall. Sailor Mercury asked me to take you somewhere safe," he explained. "It was the middle of the day in Tokyo. This place belongs to a friend of a friend," he then lied, seeing her wariness.

"Well I have to go now," she said, again struggling to rise from the bed.

"You can't, you are seriously injured," Tuxedo Mask insisted.

"I've copped worse."

Forcing her limbs to carry her, she limped as far as the lounge room as Tuxedo Mask worriedly followed her. She fell to her knees, her strength leaving her.

That fiend must have really packed a punch, she groaned inwardly.

"Sailor Moon!" she heard Jupiter's voice cry outside the balcony.

The Scouts must have followed me here! she thought, relieved.

She tried to get up but she couldn't. The effort of maintaining her glamour became too much, and her fuka faded away to reveal Serena. She looked down in horror at the disappearing uniform. She turned her head to see him staring at her. Her identity was exposed!

"JUPITER!" she screamed.

Without the effort of maintaining her fuka her limbs found new strength, and she ran across the lounge room and launched herself from the balcony outside.

"SERENA!" Jupiter screamed, seeing her friend leaping from the balcony without her disguise.

"SERENA!" Tuxedo Mask cried after the falling girl.

Jupiter leapt from the window ledge she was standing on after her friend, catching her easily in mid air. She landed neatly on the street below, thankful Serena was safe.

"Serena!" the three other scouts gasped, having rushed to their friend's side.

"Jupiter, he... he knows," Serena whispered in her friends arms.

The scouts looked up to see Tuxedo Mask's retreating form as he leapt away and out of sight/

**CHAPTER 6: SCARED**

**Friday Evening**

The girls sat quietly in the temple, looking at eachother pensively. Serena felt tears come to her eyes. She was exposed, and to someone who they did not know was an enemy or a friend. She dropped her head to her chest, her tears overwhelming her. She desperately wanted to believe that Tuxedo Mask was good, but there was always the chance he wasn't.

"Serena, we'll figure this out," Ami said compassionately, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Yeah. We can find him and beat the life out of him," Lita said with dark enthusiasm.

"I'm with you on that one Lita," Raye added, her gaze murderous.

"Serena?" Mina enquired of her silent friend.

"Oh guys, I'm just so scared!" Serena said softly, her tears falling from her eyes. "He knows who I am. Not just what I look like. He knows my name too. He could know where I live, my family..." her voice cracked and she broke into sobs.

"It's ok Serena, we'll protect you," Raye said, hugging her friend tightly.

"How?" Serena moaned.

"We'll have sleepovers," Ami said smartly, "Today is Friday so we have the weekend. We can all stay at Serena's tonight. We can use the time to check out the perimeter and see if we can put some sort of security in place."

"That's a great idea Ami," Lita nodded.

"What about tomorrow night?" Serena whined, "And the night after that?"

"Don't worry. We'll figure it out," Mina said softly to her friend.

"Until then, let's go get something to eat. I'm STARVING." Lita said suggestively.

Serena noticeably brightened and smiled at her friend. "Thanks Lita, thanks guys." She whispered.

.

Darien sat in the Arcade, brooding over his coffee.

_She IS Sailor Moon._

_SHE is Sailor Moon._

_She is SAILOR MOON._

The same thought expressed itself over and over again in his mind.

"Hey Darien, you're coffee will be cold if you don't drink it," Andrew said light-heartedly, noticing that his friend was broodier than usual today.

"Yeah," Darien mumbled, gulping the coffee down.

"Hey Mina," Andrew said as he saw the pretty blonde walk through the door, followed by her four friends.

"Hey Andrew," the girls replied.

Darien just barely fought the urge to whirl around to the girl who he now knew was Sailor Moon. Instead he slowly straightened his back and casually swivelled around in his chair.

"Hey Meatba-"

"Lay off Darien," Raye's curt voice cut him off.

"Yeah Darien, not today," The normally quiet Ami shot at him.

"Wow, something is up," Andrew noted, surprise in his voice.

Darien's gaze found the petite blonde. She sat there, devoid of her usual liveliness. She looked defeated and was gazing ahead in a zombie-like trance. She winced as she attempted to relax against the side of the booth, and he could tell that she was still hurt from the battle a few hours ago.

"Serena?" Andrew asked gently, concern lacing his voice, "Is something wrong? Can I help?"

She was silent for a moment, but slowly turned her sad face toward him and replied ever-so-softly, "No. It's not something I want to talk about or that can be helped."

Andrew looked at the girls. Did they know what was wrong? He caught Mina's eye and she nodded at him. He breathed a soft sigh of relief, knowing with that one look the girls knew and Serena wasn't alone.

"Well, if you ever need my help I'll do what I can," Andrew offered.

"Thanks Andrew," Lita replied for Serena, "We'll take care of you girl. Come on, have something to eat Ser," she encouraged.

Serena let out a sigh and let her gaze wander around the room. She found herself looking into deep blue eyes that seemed to know all the secrets of her soul.

Darien's heart lurched at the look in Serena's eyes as he registered all of her emotions. He saw things he never thought he would ever see in those bright blue eyes. He saw defeat, hopelessness, despair. The last thing he saw... was raw fear.

**CHAPTER 7: CONTACT**

Looking into those pale eyes, Darien's heart wrenched painfully in his chest, _She looks like that because of me_, he shamefully acknowledged.

He looked away from her, as if she could read his thoughts. He couldn't breathe. He needed to get out of there. Standing abruptly, he nodded curtly to the five girls and Andrew and strode out the Arcade doors.

_Serena_. She wouldn't leave his thoughts, even as he increased the distance between them. Somehow the annoying, ditzy girl who managed to crash into him had come to mean so much more to him in the few hours than anyone had in his life. His felt sick in his heart for her. His mind was confused. She and her senshei stood between him and the crystals he was searching for. But...

_But what, Darien_? a curious little voice asked.

_But... I don't know?_

_I think you do Darien_, the voice replied.

Shaking his head free of the little voice, he wondered what he should do. He snapped his fingers! He would go to her as Tuxedo Mask and assure her that her secret was safe! He smiled, that's exactly what he would do.

.

A couple hours later at the slumber party...

"AHHH! You think HE'S CUTE? MINA!" the girls giggled.

"Yah," Mina laughed, slightly embarrassed. Her arm went up behind her head and she sweat dropped. So what if she thought Andrew was cute?

"Ok Serena, YOUR turn!" Lita declared, "TRUTH or DARE?"

"Um... truth," Serena picked. Surely they couldn't ask her anything too bad.

"Ok, do you think Darien is gorgeous or what!?" Raye asked, drooling unashamedly.

Serena sweat-dropped big time, "EWWW!" she cried, "No WAY that big-jerk-who-does-he-think-he-is! He's SO MEAN to me!"

"Well you ARE a meatball head sometimes Serena," Raye laughed at her.

"Shut up Raye!"

"Aw calm down Serena..."

.

Tuxedo Mask, hidden in the Tsukina garden, sighed in frustration and amusement at the slumber party. This was going to be a problem. How could he talk to her with her friends all there? He rubbed his hand down his face and tapped his fingers against his chin thoughtfully. He had to talk to her.

.

Slowly the laughter died down, and one by one the girls fell asleep. Serena closed her eyes, but found herself unable to succumb to the warmth of slumber. She sighed and quietly crept from the lounge room to her room upstairs. Her body was healing and it was not so much of an effort now to climb the stairs. Entering her room, her fingers drummed along her chest of drawers, eventually finding the golden musical locket. Her fingers absently opened the locked as she leant against her open window, and sweet music began to play. Her eyes wandered over the object, reading the all too familiar words engraved inside the lid.

_Together again someday_.

Serena closed her eyes and let the music wash over her. She half remembered a time when a prince and a princess had pledged their everlasting love to one another.

.

Tuxedo Mask eyed the girl in the window nervously. He chuckled softly to himself, _Tuxedo Mask, nervous_? he marvelled. He breathed in deeply; it was now or never.

"Serena... Sailor Moon," he called softly. He leapt carefully onto the first floor roof that ran alongside the house under her window, revealing his presence to her. He saw her stiffen and gasp as she backed away from the window. He followed her inside, watching her swiftly turn her head to the door and knew her thoughts.

"Do not worry. I won't harm you. I only came to talk," He said softly and gently.

"Then what do you want?"

He sensed her alarm as if it were his own. Her arms were folded around her stomach and she shifted uncomfortably on her feet.

"I only wanted..." he began, trailing off.

"Wanted what?"

"... us to meet," he finally finished.

Good grief did he just SAY that? This was not going according to plan.

"Meet? You are here now."

"I meant elsewhere. So we can talk about... this," he said, waving his hand in front of him as if it spoke to everything he wanted to say.

"I'll... think about it," she said softly.

It was all he could ask. He nodded his reply. He went to the window, but turned back to her one last time.

"Sailor Moon... your secret is safe with me," he promised.

She nodded awkwardly at him before backing away and fleeing from the room. He didn't stay to watch her go, but slid silently out through the window and into the night.

.

The next morning...

"He was HERE?" Luna gasped at Serena.

"Yes Luna," Serena replied worriedly, "He knows where I live now too."

It was mid-morning, and the Sailor Scouts were meant to be enjoying their brunch at the temple. Instead, they found themselves with an even greater problem on their hands.

"What should we do?" Raye worried, upset she hadn't been there to protect her friend.

"We need to be more vigilant than ever. Tuxedo Mask might say he will keep silent but we don't know whose side he is on yet!" Artemis piped up.

"He wants to meet with me," Serena muttered dejectedly.

"MEET with you now?" Luna cried, "WHY?"

"To talk," Serena said simply.

Luna frowned. This Tuxedo Mask fellow was a real worry. An idea suddenly came to mind.

"Serena. There is maybe something we can do," Luna said thoughtfully.

"What's that Luna?" Lita interrupted.

"Serena, I can teach you a new attack to protect yourself," Luna said slightly cryptically.

"Great. Now all we need to do is put Serena on a silver platter with some garnish for Tuxedo Mask to make off with her again," Raye said sarcastically.

"Serena, I will teach you a new attack tomorrow. I hope you can master it quickly because if you don't then we may have a long-term problem on our hands." Luna bit out, giving Raye a dirty look.

"Great, what do I do until then?" Serena said, worry reflected in her clear eyes, "Because it gives me the heebie-jeebies that he could just find me at any time!"

**CHAPTER 8: ECHOES OF THE PAST**

**Saturday **

"Tuxedo Mask... the crystal!" she called to him.

"Tell me who you are!" Tuxedo Mask cried.

"The crystal... then we'll be together again, I promise..." her voice fading.

...

...

...

Darien woke with a start. Sweat dripped from his forehead. He groaned, hating his dreams but addicted to the intensity he felt emanating from the mysterious woman. He suddenly remembered last night and cursed. He banged his head against his pillow.

_Fool. Fool. Idiot. Baka_! his thoughts assailed him with malicious delight. Darien banged his head against his pillow one last time.

"I can't believe I said I wanted to meet her," he moaned to himself. His alarm clock sounded right then, reminding him of his waiting life outside his apartment. Mumbling, he showered, changed, and headed toward the library.

.

"I'm late again!" Serena shrieked, flying around the last corner to her school, only to crash face first into the well-muscled chest of none other than Darien.

"Ow," she said, rubbing her nose.

Two hands caught her shoulders, "Serena, are you ok?" Darien's voice invaded her ears.

She started to get angry at him – force of habit – but stopped. She actually thought she heard CONCERN in his voice. She looked up at him and was further surprised to find concern in his EYES.

She smiled gratefully, "I'm fine Darien thanks. Um, see you later. I'm late for a study meeting at my school," she said brightly.

"Are you sure? The other day at the Arcade you didn't –"

"Oh that. That's all taken care of. Sorry but I have to go. I'm late," She said, racing away.

Darien was very surprised. First, she was Serena again. Happy, smiling Serena. Second she was completely fine. Not 24 hours ago she had been in his apartment, too weak to hold her disguise and now she nary had a bruise.

_Well, she is a super hero. She has to heal quickly. I do_, he rationalised.

The fact that her mood had changed so dramatically was however a puzzle he had yet to work out. He frowned, disconcerted. Pushing the nagging feeling aside, he turned to walk the rest of the way to the library. His thoughts turned to the princess in his dreams, always calling him but always just out of reach, "We'll be together again, yeah right," he muttered, utterly frustrated. He wondered when he would see Sailor Moon again. What he would do. What her senshei would do to him. He groaned and pushed all these worrisome thoughts aside. He had to focus for now. He would think about the other stuff later.

Several hours later, Darien still didn't know what to do.

.

That afternoon Serena found herself at the temple with Luna, practising the new move.

"Serena, you must practice this new attack!" Luna commanded.

"Oh Luna I'm so tired," Serena complained. First she had the study session at the school and now she had to study some more. It really didn't agree with her.

"Come ON Serena, we have to get this right. You will only get one chance to do this and if you screw up then Tuxedo Mask will not be so easily dealt with again!" Luna commanded her mercilessly.

"Alright, alright," she whined. Gathering her focus she said the simple words and was rewarded with a burst of white light from her wand. Luna nodded, satisfied.

"So how is practice with Luna going Serena?" Raye asked, joining them.

"Ok. I think I'm getting the hang of it," Serena replied without confidence. It was true that she was getting the hang of the new attack, but something kept nagging at her. She didn't feel completely ok with using her powers against Tuxedo Mask.

"That's good Serena, keep up the practice," Lita said, appearing at the temple door, "You'll need to be prepared when you meet Tuxedo Mask."

"When will that be exactly?" Ami asked.

"I don't know, I suppose he will turn up sometime to let me know," Serena sighed.

"What should we do if he does turn up?" Mina asked, wide eyed and worried for her friend.

"We'll have to do nothing," Artemis surmised. "Serena, keep your wand with you at all times. If he tries something, you'll need to become Sailor Moon."

"Yes Serena. We won't be able to be the Sailor Scouts to protect you because he will sense our presence," Ami said sensibly, "At the first sign of trouble we will transform and rush to you, but those first few moments we won't able to help."

"This really sucks," Serena sobbed as she cried out all her fear and frustration.

.

"Hi Andrew," Darien said amicably, taking a seat at the bar in the Arcade.

"Hey Darien. What's up?" Andrew replied.

"Not much. Hey, how is Serena since you last saw her?" Darien enquired.

"Why do you ask Darien?" Andrew queried.

"Well she was so upset yesterday, but today I ran – I mean she ran into me and she was just fine."

"Yeah I noticed that. She and the girls were in here today giggling madly. I suppose whatever trouble there was its ok now," Andrew remarked.

"Yeah," Darien mumbled back.

"The girls are all having a sleep over at Raye's tonight too. But I expect them to come by for some pizza later," Andrew continued.

Darien suddenly perked right up.

.

The girls tumbled into the Arcade an hour later, giggling and shoving eachother.

"Hey Andrew, one pizza with the lot," Serena smiled at the blonde guy.

"That's all?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow comically.

"That's all FOR ME," Serena laughed. She turned to the others, hand on hip and eyebrow raised, "So what are you guys having?"

.

_Sweet heaven she's beautiful_, Tuxedo Mask thought under the cover of shadow as he gazed into the diner. How could he not have noticed it before; her smile, her laugh, everything? He watched the happy scene before him. Envy rose in him at her easy friendship with Andrew and the girls. Everyone around her couldn't help but love her.

_What about you_? said the annoying little voice.

_Shut. UP_, Tuxedo Mask replied in gritty tones.

He settled his body back onto his heels into a comfortable position.

_Now to wait for the perfect opportunity_, he thought.

He waited an hour for that opportunity. Finally the girls had paid for their meal and left the Arcade, all giggles and smiles. Tuxedo Mask sighed as he stepped in front of the Arcade window, frustrated that this was taking so long. His eyes absently looked to the table where the girls had sat only moments go and caught a glimmer of gold. Tuxedo Mask smiled. The perfect opportunity.

Andrew heard the Arcade doors slide open and shut, and felt the burst of cold night air on his back. Turning to greet the customer, he was met with only a delicate red rose that had been placed on the counter.

.

Serena had not walked 200 metres before she realised she had left the musical locket at the Arcade.

"Girls, you go on ahead. I'll be right behind you. I just forgot something," Serena said as she turned to spring back to the Arcade.

Racing as fast as she could she rounded the corner only to be pulled into an alley by strong arms all too familiar to her. She reacted immediately.

"Moon Prism Power!"

Her body lit up with an unearthly light that forced the arms that held her away. Her body glowed technicolour as her fuka appeared and Sailor Moon presented herself to the man standing before her. Taking her battle stance she faced him.

"What do you want!" she said defiantly, daring him to take her on.

"You forgot this," The gorgeous man in the tuxedo said, flashing an impossibly sexy smile. He dangled the musical locket before her and she made a grab for it. Laughing at her he pulled away at the last moment and she fell off balance and into his arms.

"Well, well, falling for me already huh?" he murmured, his breath caressing her cheek.

She blushed and tore away, putting her hands on her hips and giving him her most annoyed look, "Well you wanted to meet and here we are. Now what?" she demanded.

"I do want to meet you. I am here to arrange a time."

"Well, when and where then?" she snapped, becoming more and more annoyed with the infuriating hero.

"Sunday night. At the Tokyo Gardens, shall we say midnight? Senshei NOT invited," He said pointedly, "Or I'll know."

She blanched but steeled herself.

"Fine. Tomorrow then. Can I have the locket back?"

"No," he smiled. "I think I'll keep it as insurance. To make sure you turn up. I'll give it back then," he said with a grin.

She stamped her foot but nodded. Knowing she was safe until at least tomorrow night she allowed her glamour to fade and she was Serena again. She glared at him. He stared back.

"You would be defenceless before me?" he said with a hint of surprise in his voice.

She tilted her head to the side, smiled and replied, "I'm not afraid of you. If you try anything, you'll be moondusted."

Having said her piece she turned heel on him and walked out of the alley throwing him one last defiant glance as she went.

.

Tuxedo Mask smiled at the sassy blonde. He had never expected her to feel so good in his arms or her hair to smell like a field of flowers.

_Or the urge to kiss her_, a little voice insisted.

He grudgingly agreed with that voice. He frowned. His mission was for his princess, so why was he feeling this way about Sailor Moon? About Serena? Slightly frustrated he looked at the locket in his hands. He realised had never really looked at it before. He decided that now was as good a time as any to inspect the object and opened it. Sweet music began to play and he watched as a crescent shaped light made slow circles within the gold casing. His eyes wandered to an inscription on the lid.

_Together again someday._

His mind reeled in shock. The princess in his dreams had lured him with that promise. An echo of long ago stirred in his memory. A girl with long flowing hair and alabaster skin and a young man his own age with dark hair; a promise made; a love shared. The girl's face cleared in his mind's eye for only a moment and then it was gone as if it were never there. She felt so familiar. He concentrated with all his strength on everything he could remember. The man, his own age with dark hair like his. The girl, young, with flowing long hair done up in...

"Meatballs!" he gasped. He fell back against the alley wall in shock, C_ould Serena be MY princess_? he wondered. _Was the princess ever mine_? he added thoughtfully and with longing. Fatigue suddenly overcame him, causing him to yawn. He steadied himself and leapt toward his apartment. He would see what tomorrow night's meeting would bring.

**CHAPTER 9: WORLDS COLLIDE**

**Sunday Morning**

Serena woke up to Raye's arm flopped over her on the floor of the temple, popcorn and empty lolly packets strewn around her. She sat up quietly, seeing that the rest of the girls were still asleep. They'd had a long night giggling and chatting.

_I can't believe I woke up early again! All this stress isn't good for me_, she thought humorously, glad not to have lost her sense of humour - yet. Deciding not to waste the morning, she thought she would change and go for a walk around the Tokyo Gardens. Tonight she was to meet Tuxedo Mask there and she wanted to know the place inside out and gain a strategic advantage. She smiled at her cunning. Tonight, Tuxedo Mask wouldn't know what hit him. She quickly dressed and scribbled a note for her friends. With a wicked grin she sticky-taped it to Raye's forehead, then giggling she strolled casually out the temple doors and across the road into the Tokyo Gardens.

.

Darien rose early from bed as was his usual ritual. It was 6am on a crisp Sunday morning and he usually enjoyed a quiet stroll through the Tokyo Gardens. He grabbed his study pack, took the elevator to the lobby and stepped out into the bright morning. He walked briskly, whistling softly under his breath. His thoughts wandered to Sailor Moon – Serena. He smiled at the thought of her. It had not been 48 hours since he had discovered she was Sailor Moon and she was strangely growing on him. He thought back to all the times he had teased her, and marvelled that he had found her so annoying. Now he found her rather intriguing, not to mention her uncanny likeness to the princess of his dreams had only further fuelled the flames of mystery.

_Serena you meatball head, what are you doing to me_? his thoughts groaned.

He suddenly felt thoroughly annoyed. How had she managed to keep her identity secret from him for so long? She was meant to be an idle fifteen-year-old ignorant girl, and he was eighteen going on nineteen; a college student; Tuxedo Mask! He frowned, she was certainly turning out to be one of the most interesting people he had ever known. His thoughts were interrupted by the smell of roses, thousands of roses. A hint of a smile played at his lips as he delicately inspected various buds that presented their beauty to him. Finishing his inspection he found his favourite seat. He particularly liked that it was hidden behind a hedge and was relatively secluded. Settling back, his fingers found the locket that he had kept on him since finding it and suddenly felt the urge to hear that sweet song again. He lifted its lid, and the music began to play.

.

Serena surveyed her surroundings with a warrior's mind, identifying potential places of advantage or disadvantage. Stalking the Gardens, her eyes soaked in every detail. She frowned as she assessed the scenery around her, _This is going to be difficult. There are so many small gardens and no many open spaces. If I don't keep my wits about me I could be outmanoeuvred, _she thought. She was broken out of her deliberations by the sound of sweet music reaching her ears. Her head snapped to her right. The music was coming from the hedge a few metres away and it sounded just like her locket. She turned and took a step toward the sound... SNAP. She had stepped on a twig.

"Damn," she cursed. She had wanted to surprise whoever was there. She shrugged. It was no use being quiet now and walked around the hedge and to her dismay saw Darien sitting on a bench looking up at her.

"Hey meatball head," he grinned.

She ignored the jibe. "What was that music?" she asked him flatly.

He raised an eyebrow, "What music?"

Serena realised at that moment the music had stopped playing. She looked at him suspiciously, but decided it was just her imagination playing tricks on her.

"Serena. Why don't you come have a seat?" Darien asked her. Her jaw dropped. Darien was being pleasant to her? Something wasn't right.

"Why? Are you gonna glue me to the seat or something equally evil?"

"No. You've just been acting strange the past few days and I thought I would play nice until you are back to your normal meat ball self."

She glared at him.

"Aw come on Serena. I won't bite," he said playfully.

_I might_, she thought darkly, but outwardly she shrugged. "Alright, if you insist."

.

Darien had immediately snapped the locket shut and returned it to his pocket at the sound of the twig snapping. He was surprised to see Serena when she walked around the corner, and was glad she hadn't caught him with the locket. That would have been awkward to explain!

"So Serena, what was this music you were hearing?" he teased when she sat down. He may as well take advantage of the situation to have some fun with her.

"Oh. I had a musical locket that... a friend... at least I thought he was a friend... gave me. But I lost it. I thought I heard the melody playing."

"Really? What does it sound like?" he queried, all innocence.

"Um, well like this," she said, beginning to hum the tune of the locket.

"It must mean a lot to you," he teased, "So who is this friend who might not be a friend then? Is it a boy?"

She flushed slightly and looked toward the path. He smiled widely at her reaction. He was enjoying this little encounter.

"It was a boy who gave it to me yes. But I don't know if he is uh..." she trailed off.

"Interested?" Darien finished. His smile widened. If she knew he was Tuxedo Mask he was quite sure she'd probably damage him right at that moment. It made him smile all the more.

"Um, I'm not quite sure that's the word," she said, her eyes briefly narrowing for a moment.

"Oh?" he said, surprised. He studied her, seeing her eyes flash with an intelligence he had never noticed was there. He realised that she wasn't the idle ignorant girl he thought she was. She was Sailor Moon, and with that came the responsibility and wisdom to fight the battles she did. He realised she was looking at him so he quickly said mockingly "I suppose you've never had a boyfriend anyway huh? Too busy studying hard and _saving_ the world one test at a time."

"Yeah Darien, I thought you were being nice to me today?" she managed to reply equitably.

"What, no retort meatball head?" Darien goaded.

"No," she smiled, "And to answer your question, no I have never had a boyfriend."

"Oh? Never been kissed either huh?" he said with much amusement.

"No."

"Really! Why not? Andrew unavailable?"

"Geez Darien, go for the throat why don't ya?" she laughed, strangely enjoying their playful banter. "I did have a crush on Andrew but not anymore," she said more seriously.

"Oh, and why is that?"

"For the same reason I haven't had a boyfriend and I haven't been kissed," she said simply with a faraway look on her face.

"Care to share?"

She looked directly at him and he was surprised to see a maturity well beyond her years in her face.

"Because, I just have this feeling in my heart that I'm only ever meant for one person, and when I meet him then we will be together forever," she smiled.

"Sappy," Darien said, sticking out his tongue. But inside he was a sea of emotion. He felt the same way. No girl he had ever dated had ever given him the slightest impression that she was the one for him forever. Noone except the princess of his dreams who called out to him every night...

Serena shrugged, still smiling, "I know. That's why my locket is important to me. Whenever I hear the music it's like I'm already there with him. I don't know who he is or when I'll meet him. But we will be together again."

Darien froze.

Serena laughed, "I can't believe I just said that. Together again. How ridiculous when I haven't even met him." She pursed her lips and looked quizzically at the immobile Darien, "What's wrong Darien? Tired of playing nice?"

"Erm, uh, no," Darien choked out. He suddenly felt the need to get out of there. "Uh, look at the time!" he said desperately, sweat dropping, "Well, I hope you feel better soon Serena, then maybe we can go back to normal!"

Darien turned and walked as quickly as possible away from Serena as she watched him high-tailed it out of there.

_He's so weird_, she thought, chewing on her lip. Ah well, back to the temple to talk strategy.

.

Darien couldn't get away from the ache that welled up in his chest, Together again! his mind screamed. He stumbled back to his apartment and fell onto the bed, deeply confused and conflicted. He rubbed his hands roughly through his hair and over his face. Things had gotten so much more complicated, but he couldn't explain how or why. He still didn't know who the princess was meant to be, or why she was important, or how Serena might be – or was – her. He gripped his hair tightly in his hands and fell to the floor.

"WHY DO YOU HAUNT ME!" he cried brokenly to the ceiling.

**CHAPTER 10: MOON KISSES**

"THANKS for the note SERENA!" Raye yelled at her friend, pegging the crumpled up paper at her as hard as she could. The paper hit Serena and fell lightly to the ground. Serena grinned.

"Glad you got it."

"Ok girls, that's enough we have a lot of preparation to do," Luna interjected as Raye stuck her tongue out at Serena. Serena just continued to grin back at Raye.

"Yeah I know Luna, I went to the Gardens this morning. This is going to be difficult, the layout of the gardens is tight and the open areas where we could move around more freely are visible to the street," Serena said with a frown.

"You're right Serena. It doesn't help that the Gardens aren't set out well, but I'm glad you took the initiative to have a look around. You can at least have the advantage of knowing your surroundings," Artemis said approvingly.

"Yes, so let's talk strategy," Luna added as the girls gathered around.

Half an hour later...

"... So that's the plan," Luna said with pride. The girls and Artemis nodded. It was a good plan. Simple, but effective.

"We will meet at Serena's at 11:30pm and get to the Garden's early to position ourselves. Remember, don't transform until you get the signal, or else Tuxedo Mask will sense you," Luna warned.

Serena nodded, "I have to go home for lunch and then do my chores. I'll be ready for you guys at 11:30pm, right?"

"Right," the four girls replied simultaneously.

**Sunday Night**

It was 10:13pm, Darien was restless. He paced his apartment back and forth before stepping out onto the balcony. He couldn't wait any longer. He needed to see her now. He spun around and suddenly a black cape billowed around his body before settling behind him to reveal Tuxedo Mask. He placed a foot on the railing and leapt from the balcony to the roof of the building across the street.

.

Serena sighed, it was 10:36pm and she couldn't stop pacing her room. Her heart beat wildly in anticipation of what was to happen. She sighed again and looked out of her window and into the dark night. She frowned and sighed again, turning away from the window, fiddling with her wand. She instantly regretted turning her back when a strong arm locked around her waist and a hand muffled her cry of surprise. She was drawn backward and out the window. She looked up to see the familiar eyes of Tuxedo Mask looking down on her.

"Sailor Moon," he said gently, "I'm sorry, I couldn't wait."

With that, he leapt with her away into the night. She gasped as she realised her dire predicament. She had dropped her wand.

.

Tuxedo Mask landed lightly in the Tokyo Gardens, but did not let Serena go. She shivered from fear, but he mistook it for chill.

"Here," he said softly. He stood in front of her and placed his arms around her shoulders, drawing her into the warm cocoon of his cape. They stood centimetres apart. He looked down at her small frame, her hair golden in the moonlight.

"Well, here we are. Seeing as you made the date you should start the conversation," she said, attempting light humour to ease her discomfort.

He frowned at her, "Why have you not transformed?"

She thanked God silently that he had not figured THAT out. "Oh, no need yet I'm sure," she said lightly.

"Oh," he replied.

They stood silent for a moment.

"Sailor Moon," he broke the silence, "Do you believe in destiny?"

"Um, I suppose," she said, confused.

"I wish I didn't," he said sadly.

"Why?"

"Because..." he trailed off. How could he bare his soul to her? That she unknowingly called to him every time she was Sailor Moon? That he was compelled to save her without rhyme or reason to tell him why. He looked down into her pale blue eyes that were set in perfect porcelain skin, staring up at him. He felt mixed emotions. He was so drawn to her, but at the same time he felt incredibly conflicted.

"Tuxedo Mask, what's wrong?" Serena breathed.

"Would you dance with me?" he said abruptly, surprising himself and her by the request.

"Oh. Um. We have no music?" she ventured.

He pulled out the golden locket and opened its delicate lid. Sweet music began to play. He looked at her, his heart flip-flopping with a thousand emotions. A ghost of something remembered barely registered, but it was there. He searched her eyes, desperate for answers.

"Well you think of everything don'tcha?" she smiled.

Tuxedo Mask smiled back. Taking her hand in his and placing his hand on her waist, they danced slowly to the music in the pale moonlight. The music held them hypnotized in eachother's arms, and neither of them knew why or how they had come to be this way. It seemed as though they had always been dancing and always would. Slowly their bodies inched closer together until she found her head resting on his shoulder and he rested his chin at her temple, his arms wrapped around her small waist. Their eyes met. Driven by a force of longing in his heart he bent his dark head and captured her lips in a kiss.

**CHAPTER 11: FINAL CONFRONTATION**

"Serena! Serena!" Raye whispered furiously at Serena's bedroom window.

"She's probably asleep," said Lita.

"She better no be," Raye replied smartly.

With a single leap Raye found herself on the roof next to Serena's window. She peered into the dark room. Silence.

"Serena! Luna!"

"What?" Luna yawned, stepping into the room. She had been sleeping downstairs next to the heater; her favourite spot.

"Where's Serena Luna?"

"What!" Luna cried.

Raye at that moment tripped on Serena's wand. Luna gasped, realising the gravity of the situation.

"Get this broach to Serena and get it to her NOW!" she hissed.

Rayed nodded, "Ok!"

Raye took the broach and slid out the window, then jumped to the ground to face the girls.

"He came early. He has Serena and she can't transform," Raye informed them. "Lets go."

A heavy silence descended on the group and they immediately leapt away toward the Tokyo Gardens, hoping that Serena was alright.

.

Serena had never expected her first kiss to be like this or with him. His lips gently caressed hers as his thumb traced her jaw to her ear while his other arm curled around her waist. He gently begged entry to her mouth, running his tongue lightly across her lips and she willingly parted them for him, welcoming the warm invasion. The whole world could have ended and she wouldn't have known it wrapped in his warm embrace. The kiss slowly ended as he drew away, gazing into her eyes. She stared at him, her lips tingling.

"Serena..." he said softly, his voice husky.

"HEY GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF HER!" Jupiter's voice rang out angrily.

Serena gasped and stepped back from Tuxedo Mask and out of his embrace.

"YEAH! You into kidnapping young girls now creep?" Raye shouted.

_Damn_, Tuxedo Mask thought. He looked at Serena. Of course she would tell her scouts. Tuxedo Mask whirled around, hurling roses in the Sailor Scout's direction. He didn't aim to hurt them, only to scare them so he could make his escape. Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury leapt out of the way of roses.

_Where is Sailor Venus_? he wondered.

"VENUS LOVE CHAIN... ENCIRCLE!" her voice cried out from behind him. The chain encircled him before he could dodge it. It wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his waist. Like a hunter, Venus had caught her prey. He cursed himself his stupidity. He had let this happen. He had let his guard down.

"Sailor Moon, transform!" Mars called, tossing Serena the wand.

Serena nodded, "MOON CRYSTAL POWER!" she cried, and in an instant was Sailor Moon. Looking at Tuxedo Mask, she hesitated.

"What are you waiting for Sailor Moon?" Mercury frowned, "You know what you have to do."

Sailor Moon nodded dejectedly. It had to be done, she couldn't be assured of her safety so long as he knew.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to Tuxedo Mask.

He looked at her with wide eyes. Surely she wouldn't destroy him, but Sailor Moon began a series of graceful movements he had never seen her do before.

_A new attack_, he thought grimly.

She spoke the signale, "Moon Memory Kiss!" as a white light shone from her wand, lighting him with its glow.

"Sailor Moon?!" he cried. He saw a single tear fall down her cheek, but she held onto the attack. All of his memories of Sailor Moon the past three days flashed before his eyes as his mind was completely opened by the light. Everything fresh in his mind about her and every hidden unconscious image bubbled to the surface. Sailor Moon fading back to Serena, Sailor Moon hurt, her in his apartment, his dream of the Moon Princess. His head suddenly snapped back. The MOON PRINCESS, he knew now who she was. She was his princess, he had found her.

"Serena..." he pleaded with her.

As suddenly as the memories had flickered before his mind's eye they began to quickly fade. His eyes widened as he realised what was happening. "SERENA!" he screamed. He KNEW now. Serenity, his princess, his eternal love, was Sailor Moon. He couldn't forget now! Not now he had found her. "NO!" he shouted, "Sailor Moon! Serena! Please. You don't know what you're doing!" he begged.

"I'm sorry," Serena whispered.

"SERENA!" he cried as blackness began to descend upon him. He fell to his knees. "Princess..." he whispered, falling headfirst into unconscious oblivion.

**CHAPTER 12: AFTERMATH**

"Is he ok?" Sailor Moon asked.

Mercury fiddled with her computer. "Yes he is fine. His vital signs are strong. He is just passed out," she stated matter-of-factly.

"So, did it work?" Sailor Mars asked.

"Luna said that the attack would work, all I had to do was think about the exact things I wanted him to forget. So I made him forget everything to do with Sailor Moon and her senshei this weekend. All his memories of Sailor Moon and any connected to them were the ones I erased," Sailor Moon replied.

"What if you missed something?" Jupiter said, biting her lip.

"I didn't," Sailor Moon replied softly, but with certainty.

"What are we going to do with him now?" Mars asked, looking at the unconscious form of Tuxedo Mask.

"We should take that mask off!" Jupiter suggested.

"No," Sailor Moon commanded quietly, "It's not right and look at the trouble it caused us. We are Sailor Scouts, we must behave honourably. Jupiter, help me take him back to that apartment. He said it belonged to a friend of a friend. You girls go tell Luna I'm ok," Sailor Moon said, reaching down to help Jupiter lift Tuxedo Mask and holding Tuxedo Mask between them and leapt off into the night.

"Should have unmasked him," Sailor Mars muttered, watching them go.

**At the apartment**

"Sailor Moon I can't leave you here with him alone," Jupiter said pleadingly. "The last time you and he were alone he figured out-"

"No Jupiter. I will be fine. I just need to see if he is ok," Sailor Moon replied, cutting Jupiter off. Jupiter just nodded and left via the balcony. Sailor Moon turned her attention back to Tuxedo Mask. He stirred, and opening his eyes slightly. His hand went to his head.

"Ugh, what happened?"

"Shh," she cooed, "You were hit by a youma. Pretty hard," she lied.

"Oh. Where am I?"

"You are at an apartment that belongs to a friend of a friend. They aren't here right now," she lied again. "You'll be safe here till morning. Rest."

"Sailor Moon?"

"Shh. Rest. I have to go," Sailor Moon replied. "Take care of yourself, ok?" She turned and walked out to the balcony before leaping into the night.

Tuxedo Mask rubbed his sore head again, Must've been a hard hit, he thought. He surveyed his surroundings. The room looked strangely familiar.

"This is my apartment," he said, shocked.

He looked to the balcony where Sailor Moon had made her exit. She said that this apartment belonged to a friend of a friend. Does she know someone that I know? he wondered. Sighing, he allowed his disguise to fade and he was Darien again. His head still hurt. I'll think about it tomorrow, he decided, descending into a deep sleep.

**CHAPTER 13: A SHADOW REMAINS**

**Monday Morning**

Darien woke up with a start. Sailor Moon had been in his apartment! He couldn't believe it. Thankfully he had been disguised as Tuxedo Mask at the time. She couldn't know who he was. But she had said this apartment belonged to a friend of a friend. He growled, frustrated.

_Just who is this friend that links us_? he wondered.

He lay back into the pillow, trying to remember the events of last night. He found he couldn't and grew more frustrated. He got up out of bed and tossed some fresh clothes on. He needed some fresh air.

.

Serena smiled, welcoming the day. So what if it was Monday? She had protected herself last night, preventing a catastrophe AND on top of that it was a student free day! It couldn't get any better than that. For the third time in a row she realised she had woken early in the morning. She squealed with delight when she remembered the kiss she and Tuxedo Mask had shared last night! She blushed, remembering the grilling she got from the girls when they asked what Tuxedo Mask had wanted with her when she had returned home to find them waiting for her and how she had stuttered some lie – she'd NEVER tell what really happened. Her skin flushed – her first kiss! She sighed happily and a thought crept into her mind. She quickly dressed and danced down the stairs and out the door.

Arriving at the Tokyo Gardens she stopped in the spot where IT had happened. Opening her locket she let the music wash over her as she swayed slowly to its rhythm.

"Meatball head, what are you doing?" a voice interrupted her reminiscing.

"Hi Darien!" she laughed. She flung her arms out wide and spun around in a lazy circle.

"What is WRONG with you?" Darien asked. _Man she is acting weird_, he thought.

"I got my first kiss..." she sighed, her eyes half closed in the memory of it.

Darien half-remembered talking to her yesterday morning, but the memory was foggy. He remembered she hadn't had a boyfriend yet... his thoughts trailed off and he shook his head. Something was just out of his reach, and he couldn't put his finger on what it was.

"...and it was wonderful."

Darien felt something akin to jealousy at the moment, but would forever deny its presence.

"Oh really? Did you get a boyfriend so quickly Serena?" he said, his eyebrow arched.

She stopped twirling, "Uh, no."

"So you kissed a strange guy?" he half-exclaimed, both eyebrows raised now.

"Well, he wasn't quite strange. We have known each other for a little while," she said softly, her eyes sparkling. "Besides, he kissed me first!" she squealed with delight and resumed twirling. Darien laughed at her innocent joy.

"So I suppose I will see him at the Arcade. I'll have to warn him of your klutzy ways," Darien chided her, teasing.

She stopped spinning again, her smile fell.

"What's wrong?" he asked, seeing the change.

"You can't tell anyone I just told you this stuff." she said, looking into the distance.

"Why not?"

"Because uh... its complicated. The girls don't even know," she admitted.

He suddenly heard soft music playing, the tune sounding familiar to him.

"Complicated huh? I know all about that. What's that music?" he asked.

"Oh its just my locket. I found it," Serena said.

"Oh, it sounds really familiar," Darien said absently as memories of a princess and a kiss under the moonlit Tokyo Sky stirred in his conciousness. He suddenly broke into a wide grin.

"Darien, are you ok?" Serena asked, seeing his smile.

"Yeah Serena, I'm ok. Are you?"

"Yep."

"Good so things are back to normal? Whatever was bugging you this past weekend is ok now?"

"Uh huh."

"Great, then I can stop the nice act. Well see you later meatball head. I suppose I'll see you klutzing up again soon," he mocked, back to his usual teasing ways.

"You're such a jerk Darien," Serena said lightly, sticking her tongue out at him.

He shrugged and walked away from the still giggling smiling girl. He couldn't help but smile himself. He remembered. His princess had been with him last night. He could still taste her kiss on his lips and her warmth in his arms. The memory was barely there,_ that youma must have hit me really hard_, but he knew with all his being that she was real.

"We will be together again princess, just like you said. I'll free you," he whispered.

.

Serena continued to twirl to the music of the locket, a secret smile playing on her lips. So she hadn't told the entire truth to the Scouts. Yes she had wanted Tuxedo Mask's memories of her being Sailor Moon erased, but she had also specifically wanted him to remember their kiss. She had allowed just a shadow of the encounter to remain. It made her heart glad to think that a little piece of him would always remember her. She giggled again and fell down on the grass to stare up at the wide blue sky. Maybe one day she'd be so lucky as to have a second "first kiss" with him.

The End

**Reviews**

To everyone who has responded: I KNOW! I am so frikken evil! Mwahaha. But that's the ending I wanted. I love their star-crossed love, and I also wanted to stay true to the first season where they don't find out until the end who each other is. It broke my heart to write the ending but its such a perfect perfect way to finish the story. I just love cliff hangers and endings that make you want more!

With regard to making a sequel - watch this space. I have decided to call it "Remember me this way". I expect to have the full version up in the next two weeks (I hate unfinished stories).

Thank you all for your reviews. I am delighted that you liked it and I know I just loved writing it. I was really sad to find out only a few weeks ago that the anime had finished (I have only just gotten back into Sailor Moon after many years), but fanfiction well and truly keeps it alive in our hearts!

Sarah

**Sequel**

The sequel is now up.


	2. SME Part 2: Remember Me This Way

Disclaimer:

I dont own Sailor Moon at all. Not even one DVD.

This is my second fanfic – still havent figured out how to make it into chapters yet. Meh.

I'm sorry for the full stops between paragraphs, for some reason it wont recognise the spaces between them – still.

**Remember me this way**

**Sequel to Sailor Moon Exposed**

"_Remember Me This Way" – Jordan Hill_

_I'll make a wish for you_

_And hope it will come true_

_That life would just be kind_

_To such a gentle mind_

_If you lose your way_

_Think back on yesterday_

_Remember me this way_

_Remember me this way_

**CHAPTER 1: MEMORIES OF YESTERDAY**

**Somewhere in Time and Space**

Sailor Pluto warily watched through The Mirror of Time as her home planet ticked slowly across the galaxy. An event that occurred only every 100,000 years was about to occur: Pluto and Earth would be in direct planetary alignment. There would be no other planet except the Earth's moon to separate them from each other's gaze. The guardian of time pursed her lips and frowned. This was not good.

**On Earth**

"Oh Luna isn't the crescent moon lovely tonight, so bright and perfect?" Serena sighed. She sat at her window with her head rested on her hands. Her long hair trailed the floor, shimmering gold in the pale moonlight that streamed in her window. She was a vision in bunny pyjamas.

"Yes Serena. Now you must go to bed, you have school tomorrow," Luna said in her motherly way.

"Yes Luna," Serena sighed again. She climbed into her bed, the doona curling warmly around her.

"Serena?"

"Yes Luna?"

"I'm glad you are ok and Tuxedo Mask is no longer a danger to you. I know it was only a few weeks ago that he knew your identity and that it was a scary time. But I'm proud of you and the Scouts and the way you handled yourself. You are growing into such fine young women," Luna said softly.

"Thanks Luna," Serena replied as her eyes drifted shut. Soon she was snoring lightly.

.

"Endymion, my love."

"Serenity."

_HUH?_ Serena thought.

"I thought you would never come Endymion," the young woman, who was obviously Serenity, said breathlessly to Endymion.

_WHAT is going on here?_ Serena thought wildly, realising that the words had come out of HER mouth and she was Serenity. _I must be dreaming._

"Of course I came. I love you my princess. I cannot leave you here alone when things may have changed for the worse," Endymion replied to Serenity.

Serena watched as Endymion walked toward Serenity/her. _Gosh he's handsome_, she thought. _He looks a bit like Darien, but older. _Serena, if she were awake, could have pinched herself. _I'm glad he's NOT Darien, there is only a passing resemblance, _she looked at the man again, _YEP, I'm DEFINITLY NOT dreaming about that JERK!_

"Don't say such things my love. I cannot bear to think of them," Serenity/Serena cried softly as Endymion wrapped his arms around her. Serenity/Serena lay her head on his chest, glad for his warmth.

"I'm sorry that it seems our young lives have begun in a time of unrest. Let us hope that whatever evil is happening on Earth will be resolved and pass us by," Endymion said comfortingly. He lifted Serenity's/Serena's chin to raise her eyes to him. "Serenity, I love you," he said seriously.

"And I love you," Serenity/Serena said. Serena felt Endymion's forehead on hers/Serenity's and felt Serenity responding to him as Serenity/she lifted herself toward his lips and kissed him with all her love and devotion.

"_Wow. What a kiss..."_ Serena thought, losing herself in the dream.

_._

"SERENA TSUKINO! WAKE UP! I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT YOU WENT TO BED EARLY BUT STILL MANAGED TO SLEEP IN!" Luna screeched at Serena, swiping at her side with claws bared.

"OWWWEEEE-YOW!" Serena cried as she awoke, "Lunaaaaaa, I was having the best dream and you just RUINED it at the best part!" she whined.

"Well you can continue the dream in detention after school given that you are going to be late," Luna said with a degree of annoyance.

"DAMN!" Serena cried, leaping out of the bed and into her furious get-ready-in-ten-seconds-flat routine. She'd perfected it over the years and was soon brushing her teeth while simultaneously putting on her clothes and kicking books into her bag. She quickly brushed her hair and put it up in her usual-style, _Thats TWO BUNS_, she thought furiously, and ran down the stairs and out the door.

She ran halfway to school before realising just how late she was. Her first class was almost over so there was no point racing. She slowed to a walk, deciding that maybe she could sneak into her second class and get out of doing detention for being late for the first. If she got lucky her teacher might just think she was sick today and not just incredibly late. The slower pace allowed her mind to wander back to the dream she had last night. _Gosh that was some kiss_, she thought, _it was almost better than my __first__ kiss_, she giggled. Tuxedo Mask had, a few weeks ago, been her first kiss – not that HE remembered, much. She giggled again. It had been funny to fight the NegaForce with him, to have him save her and be in his arms after she had erased his memory of ever knowing her secret identity as Sailor Moon. That part had definitely NOT been funny, it had been one of the scariest times in her life and she was glad that the Sailor Scouts had been extra watchful of her in battles knowing Tuxedo Mask's disposition to make off with their unconscious leader.

"Some leader I am, falling over all the time and knocking myself out," she mumbled to herself.

"Oh don't worry meatball head, one day you'll perfect the art of walking," a mocking voice said behind her.

She clenched her hands into tiny fists and turned to face her tormentor, "Darien Chiba, super jerk and moron extraordinaire," she said coldly, especially liking the 'extraordinaire' part.

He raised an eyebrow at her, "Ohh big words now, what can I say? I'm proud of you meatball head."

She suddenly felt homicidal. Surely there was some defence that could get her off; some law that said 'Darien Chiba is the most annoying person in Japan and anyone who is overcome with maniacal behaviour around him is not responsible for their actions'. She smiled a small smile, imagining the parade that would be held in her honour.

"What are you smiling about now meatball head? Aren't you _late_ for school?"

"Yeah..." her voice trailed off as she remembered the reason why she was late – that incredible dream of course! She smiled all the more. She vaguely heard someone say 'got nothing to say meatball head?' but was completely lost in her own memory of her dream. Forgetting Darien, she turned and continued to walk to school with a small bounce in her step.

.

Darien watched as Serena suddenly went from incredibly ticked off, _Gosh she looks funny with her face scrunched up like that_, into a dream-like state as she turned and walked away.

"Rude," he muttered, somehow disappointed to have missed their morning argument. He shrugged and continued onto the Arcade to see his best friend Andrew.

"Hey Darien," Andrew said as his friend plonked himself onto a stool at the bar, "No classes today?"

"Only one in a couple hours," Darien replied, distracted by the salt shaker he was fiddling with in his hands.

"Darien, what's wrong? You know I can tell these things," Andrew said sagely.

Darien grinned. Andrew could almost read him like a book – almost. If he could read his mind he would know that Darien was also Tuxedo Mask – hero of Tokyo. But he didn't know that now did he so he wasn't so all-knowing about his friend as he liked to make himself out to be.

"Well Andrew, a few weeks ago I met this amazing girl and now I can't find her at all," Darien said, thinking about the Princess and their shared kiss. It annoyed him a little that he remembered the kiss, but that the memory was hazy and not clear. It was like it had been a dream, but he knew it was too real to have been a dream. Sure he didn't really remember actually seeing her. But he knew what she felt like and how his heart reacted toward her – he had only seen her in his dreams every night ever since he had become Tuxedo Mask! He knew it was her, now the hard part was finding her since she seemed to have vanished.

"What, you didn't get her number?" Andrew enquired.

"No, we sort of just, you know..." Darien didn't know how to explain to Andrew just how he had met his Princess. Thankfully Andrew did it for him.

"Yea I know, it was one of those eyes-caught-across-the-room-and-then-she-was-gone sort of thing huh Darien?"

"Uh, I guess you could say that," Darien replied, relieved to not to have to explain himself.

"Well, I'm sure that if its meant to be she will turn up," Andrew said, smiling at his friend.

_I've been waiting for her to turn up for months. She turns up once and then disappears. I'm not holding my breath!_ Darien's thoughts muttered.

**CHAPTER 2: SPRUNG!**

Serena had managed to sneak into her second class without incident, having avoided her teacher Ms Tiko from first class. Now school was over, _I can't believe I'm out at 3pm today!_, she was on her way to the Arcade to meet the girls and have an afternoon snack. She arrived at the Arcade to see Ami and Lita already there, and joined them in their booth.

"Hi guys!" she said brightly.

"Well someone is in a good mood today," Lita said archly, "No detention huh?"

"Mm... that and..." Serena sighed happily. All day she had been day-dreaming about her night-dream!

"That and what Serena?" Raye said as she and Mina joined the three girls in the booth.

"Oh... nothing,' Serena blushed.

"Serena, I can feel the love vibrating from you like crazy! SPILL!" Mina, the Senshei of Love, Sailor Venus, said excitedly, "You're in loooove!"

"I AM NOT!" Serena squealed.

"You so are!" Lita laughed.

"No seriously, I uh... just-had-a-dream-last-night-and-I-uh-had-he-uh-it- was-a-really-nice-kiss," she squeaked out the last word.

The girls stared at her for a moment before rearing back with laughter.

"You've been thinking about THAT ALL DAY?" Raye laughed hysterically.

"WELL YOU WOULD IF YOU WERE THERE!" Serena bellowed at her friend.

"I'm glad I wasn't Serena, with the heat coming off you I wouldn't have wanted to... interrupt," Mina said, a wicked smile curving on her lips as her hand fanned her face.

"OH! You guys! Shut UP! Everyone can hear you!" Serena hissed.

"I see you told your friends about your kiss Serena. You are right everyone CAN hear you..." a voice drawled to her right.

Serena froze. _Oh no! This could get ugly!_ Serena thought frantically. Darien certainly knew about one kiss... and her friends about another! She laughed, sweat dropping, "Uh yeah Darien, now feel free to rack OFF!" she hissed back at him.

"You know about Serena's kiss?" Mina asked Darien suddenly.

Darien smiled. To Serena it looked like a smile of death. Her survival instinct took over as she edged out of the booth slightly, ready to make a run for it.

"Of course I know about her kiss, I was there in the Tokyo Gardens the morning after it happened. She was spinning around, smiling like some lunatic. Don't tell me she's STILL mooning over it," Darien replied.

Serena froze and inched a little further out of the seat, calculating the distance between the door and herself.

"The Gardens?" Raye choked out.

"How long ago was this?" Lita asked dangerously.

Darien suddenly realised that there were four confused girls, and one very nervous meatball head sitting in front of him. He smiled wickedly, _Time to do some damage! Oh meatball head I know I said I wouldn't say anything... but its not like I promised you... and this is SUCH a great opportunity.._. he thought.

Serena prepared herself to run for her very life. She just knew deep down in her soul that she was on a collision course for a fatal encounter with her four friends. She inched a little more out of her seat, lightly placing one foot in front of her while the other pressed against the side of the booth. Her body was a coiled spring about to explode into action.

"Well..." Darien drawled, teasing out the moment, "It was a few weeks ago."

"A few weeks ago you say?" Ami coughed.

The four girls simultaneously turned their heads to Serena. Darien waited for the fun to begin.

"Serena," Raye began dangerously, eyeing her friend, "Do you-"

_RUN!_ Her mind screamed, _They are going to kill me, but they'll have to catch me first!_

Serena's instincts kicked in, and Raye was cut off as Serena practically leapt from her seat to the door in one single bound. In that split second she was glad that all her years of running to school had made her incredibly fast. She could run for ages, for miles even – given the right incentive, and right now was an incredible incentive. She realised that she had left her bag behind, _It would only slow me down, Andrew will take care of _it, she thought as she slammed the Arcade doors opened and ran for her very life.

Darien, meanwhile, had never seen Serena run like that before. _Damn she's quick_, he thought. His thoughts were interrupted by four girls storming past him to chase the fleeing blonde.

"AFTER HER! I'm going to KILL the little airhead!" Raye screamed as they ran out of the Arcade.

Darien watched them go, very confused. Something was up with those girls. He knew Serena definitely hadn't told them about her first kiss, _Way to go Chiba! High-five_ _you clever dog_, and she certainly didn't want to tell them now.

"Wow, that was insane, I wonder what's up?" Andrew said, appearing beside his friend.

"I don't know but I'm sure it will be hilarious when they catch her. Too bad I won't be there to see it," Darien said with the most amused expression on his face. He looked at his watch and realised he need to be at the library to do some study before his class. "Later Andrew," he said breezily strolling toward the door of the Arcade.

"Later Darien," Andrew replied.

**CHAPTER 3: IT GETS WORSE – SURPRISE DARIEN **

Serena ran for half an hour in circles around the Juuban suburb, ducking behind trees, cars, bushes, little kids – ANYTHING, to try and trick the girls following her. She knew she couldn't go to the Mall or back to the Arcade. She pouted, those were her two favourite places and she knew they would look there. She ducked behind a hotdog vendor on the street, pretending to tie her shoe and looked around for a good place to hide for a while, a couple hours, maybe forever. Scanning the area around her, she saw the perfect hiding place. She ducked across the road and ran up the steps and into the safety of the library.

"Young lady, can I help you?" the snooty receptionist at the front counter said, looking down her long hooked nose through her wire rimmed glasses at the panting girl in front of her. Serena sweat dropped.

"Yeah, uh, can you tell me where anthropology is?" she asked, thinking of the biggest most important word she could think of.

"Down there, to the left toward the back," the receptionist replied.

"Thanks!" Serena replied, _Excellent, down the back of the library is a great place to hide_!

Serena stopped by the magazine rack and grabbed some manga comics before ducking behind the shelves to the back of the library. There she settled down in a quiet corner, grateful to catch a breath.

"Meatball head, what are you doing?" that annoying voice with that very unique tone only one person on the face of the Earth could possibly have, said sardonically.

"Shh!" she said, barely looking up from her manga. "I'm hiding!"

"Why?"

"Well WHY did you tell the girls about the you-know-what!?" she hissed at him as loudly as she could without bringing attention to them, "The girls are going to kill me now!"

"Why?"

Serena sighed, closed her eyes and banged her head back against the book shelf she was sitting against as if saluting her stupidity, "Because they have an idea of who my first kiss might have been with, and they are... overprotective."

"Why?"

She smiled, "Because one, it was a wonderful kiss," she blushed but continued, "and two, sometimes the most wonderful things in the world come with uh... uh... a price I suppose."

"And what was this price?"

She scowled at him, "Why am I telling you this? Geez, I'm such an idiot. It's YOUR fault they know in the FIRST place thank you very much," she muttered.

"Aw come on. You would have done the same thing."

She smiled evilly, "Yeah," she admitted.

He blanched at her admission, _We ARE a pair aren't we?_, he thought wryly.

"So what was the price?" Darien asked, suddenly quite interested in the whole affair that had these five girls running crazily around town.

Serena sighed and looked up at him sadly, "I can never, ever, ever, tell anyone about it" she said seriously, but smiled and said under her breath, "Not that anyone would believe me anyway! That's ALWAYS a plus if anyone does actually find out!"

Darien, being Tuxedo Mask and endowed with certain abilities such as enhanced hearing, heard every single word. He was really quite curious now as to who this boy was and why the girls were reacting this way over one kiss. He noticed she was smiling.

"Serena, why are you smiling?" Darien asked.

She looked at the wall in front of her and grinned, "Because it was worth it and even if I died today at the hands of my four best friends, I'd do it all over again!"

Darien could only raise his eyebrows in response.

.

"We've LOST her!" Raye cried, throwing her hands up in frustration.

"I can't BELIEVE she did it! IF she has done what we are thinking she did then I am going to WRING HER SCAWNY NECK!" Lita said angrily.

"Guys, I can find her, I just -uh- need to use my special tracker" Ami said, pulling out her Mercury Computer. She pressed a few buttons and immediately it locked onto Serena's location. "Come on! She's at the library!" Ami said, leading the way.

Mina just laughed. Being the Senshei of Love she had felt the growing connection between Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon. She understood what Sailor Moon – ahem – Serena, had done. Heck, she would have done it too!

.

Darien saw the four girls come into the library and quickly ducked behind the book shelf he was at. Bending down he whispered to Serena "Psst, they are here!" pointing in the direction of the door.

She looked at him with frozen eyes and slowly, like a hunted creature, turned her head to peer through the book shelves. She gulped. He was right. She also saw the librarian pointing her way! _DAMN DAMN DAMN_, she thought.

"Thanks Darien," she whispered before crawling behind the book shelves and under a table.

Darien rose up just in time to see Lita, Mina, Raye and Ami pop their heads around the corner to where he was.

"Hey Darien, have you seen Serena?" Mina asked politely.

Darien smiled.

"That-a-way," he said, pointing his finger in the direction Serena had gone. She was going to kill him later, but it was going to be worth it he was sure.

Lita locked onto Serena like a hunter onto her prey. Motioning to Lita, they moved to either side of the table she was under. Serena, not realising the legs of her current enemy, attempted to squeeze by to get under the next table but founder herself suddenly flipped over and dragged out from underneath the table by two pairs of strong hands. So she did the only thing she could do – scream.

Darien watched the scene before him as Serena clawed at the carpet to try and get away from the two stronger girls. He started to laugh, this WAS worth the imminent death. Serena had obviously heard him laugh because she gave him her deadliest I'm-going-to-kill-you look to date. He started crying with laughter. She squealed and screamed and almost got away, but Ami had blocked her escape while Lita had grabbed her from behind, locking her arms around the struggling blonde. Darien leant against the book shelf, trying hard not to fall to the floor with laughter. His sides hurt but it WAS WORTH IT. He watched as Lita carried the screaming, kicking girl out of the library while the receptionist stared at the scene open mouthed. _This is too good to miss, Andrew will die laughing when I tell him what happened. _Darien walked to the library door. He saw Serena surrounded on all sides by three angry girls and one bemused Mina. They were gesturing angrily at her and taking turns yelling. He unashamedly used his Tuxedo Mask powers to hear their conversation through the glass.

.

"SERENA TSUKINO WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?" Raye screamed angrily at her friend.

Serena cowered under her glare.

"YEAH Serena! How could you kiss HIM!?" the normally mild Ami said heatedly.

Serena stood there mute.

"Gonna do it again Serena?" Mina asked.

Serena couldn't stop the silly glazed look that momentarily came to her face as she remembered the kiss before her face became a mask again.

"Serena! Look at me! You are to stay as far away from him as humanly possible!" Lita said sternly.

"Yeah Serena, remember what happened last time," Raye said, pointing a finger into her friend's chest, "Now what are you going to do?" she demanded, her hands on her hips as she stared down her friend.

"I'm going to stay away from Tuxedo Mask," Serena replied glumly.

**CHAPTER 4: ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE?**

Darien's head smacked against the glass in dumb shock at what he had just overheard.

_You DO mean eavesdropped, don't you?_

The little voice was back.

_Shut. Up._ Darien replied.

"Sir, are you ok?" the receptionist behind him asked in a quiet yet concerned voice.

"Uh, yeah. Just um forgot something..." Darien mumbled as he hurried out of the library.

Once outside he stopped and stood dead still. There was no way he could confront the girls and especially Serena without them (1) knowing that he had heard them talking from so far away, (2) them becoming suspicious of him, and (3) them asking questions about why he was so keen to find out about Serena's kiss with Tuxedo Mask. Maybe number three wasn't such a problem – who wouldn't be naturally interested in knowing those sorts of details. But numbers one and two were problems. He frowned and gave Serena a hard stare from beneath his lashes. There was no way Tuxedo Mask – he – had kissed her. You would think he would remember a small detail like that.

_But there was that period when you didn't know you were Tuxedo Mask at all... maybe it happened again?_

_No. That's impossible... but then so is Tuxedo Mask kissing Serena_.

Darien sighed roughly and rubbed a frustrated hand across his face. He was pretty certain Serena had to be lying. He was Tuxedo Mask and he would have remembered. But her friends certainly knew about the possibility and weren't surprised when she had responded almost obediently to their command not to see the guy, supposedly him, again.

_Like I would_, Darien thought wrinkling his nose_, As if I'd kiss Serena._ He frowned again_, But even if I did kiss Serena I wonder what those girls have against me, Tuxedo Mask? I'm the flipping hero of Tokyo that saves their beloved heroine every other battle! Am I chopped liver now?_

Darien groaned at his own vanity. He looked around and saw that the girls had moved away during his musings and appeared to be headed for the Arcade. He obviously had to follow them to see what would happen and try and find out more information. He would figure this out!

He followed the girls from a distance as they walked toward the Arcade. Serena didn't say anything, but he could tell that she was annoyed. She walked with pride and defiance, though she kept her head meekly bowed. Mina had looped their arms together and he could tell she had a slight grin on her face. Lita and Raye were in serious discussion about how to control Serena and not let her do anything stupid again while Ami was casting worried glances at all four of the girls.

_Man they look tense._

Following them into the Arcade he saw Andrew look up from his counter with a grin.

"Finally caught you did they Serena?" he teased.

Serena looked balefully at Andrew then tossed a mulish look at the girls she was with.

"Traitors," Darien heard her mutter.

"YOU should talk!" Raye said, confronting Serena straight on.

"Oh come ON Raye, jealous much!" Serena said, sticking her tongue out at Raye.

Lita jumped in, "That's a lie Serena, you know that we are just concerned for you!"

"What's going on?" Andrew asked, unsure of where the conversation was headed.

All five girls fell silent for a moment, shuffled their feet and looked at eachother. Finally, Mina blurted out something about Serena kissing a guy who was bad news.

_I am NOT bad news! _Darien fumed.

"It wasn't LIKE that!" Serena pouted, "I was just there, as you guys _KNOW_ and HE kissed ME! Not the other way around!"

Darien felt like the very universe around him was being turned inside out and upside down. HE kissed HER?

"So what's wrong with the guy?" Andrew asked, "Is he in a gang?"

Serena and Mina at that moment burst into a fit of giggles while Lita, Ami and Raye glared at her.

"Well, no, he is actually an ok kind of guy," Ami said slowly.

_Thank goodness for that, and here I thought I was losing my reputation_, Darien thought.

"But he's older than Serena, like a couple years older. As her friends we just want her to stay away from him, at least until we know more about him," Ami finished with a pointed glance at Serena.

"So you girls know who Serena, I mean, who kissed Serena?" Andrew asked.

"Uh, yeah," Raye muttered, giving Serena a murderous glance.

Serena just shrugged back at her and grinned. What could she do? Her death warrant was signed.

"So who is he?" Andrew asked.

_Finally, the million dollar question_, Darien thought.

"We can't tell you," all five girls said in unison. They all fell silent, looking at eachother silently in mute camaraderie. They at least agreed upon that little fact.

"Why not?" Darien finally spoke.

"Well Darien," Serena replied, "Because its NONE of YOUR business, and Andrew, because it's probably best to forget it ever happened," Serena said, shuffling her feet.

"Ok girls, but if you need help I'm here. Your own pseudo-big brother," Andrew grinned.

_Like hell its none of my business and there is no way I'm forgetting this ever happened_, Darien thought darkly.

Ami suddenly broke the silence, "Uh guys, we have to GO,"

"Great timing," Raye said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah you're telling me! Alright then, see you tomorrow Andrew!" Mina said brightly, gathering her things together as the other four girls did the same. Together they all walked out of the Arcade, as if the events of the day hadn't even happened.

Andrew burst out laughing, "Those girls, they are funny!"

"Yeah," Darien said distractedly as he felt a familiar sensation pulling him to Sailor Moon's side.

"I wonder who the guy is though," Andrew said thoughtfully.

_It was me_, Darien thought in response, "Sorry Andrew, I have to go too," he said before leaving.

"It's weird how often that happens – one goes, they all go!" Andrew said to himself.

**CHAPTER 5: AWAKENED**

Darien was grateful that it was evening as it was easier to find a quiet spot to transform into Tuxedo Mask. He leapt into a tree and allowed the transformation to take place and soon he was running toward the battle in the Tokyo Gardens. The Sailor Scouts were already there fighting some weird three-headed youma. Tuxedo Mask didn't really care what it was, only how long it took to kill it.

"Mercury bubbles... BLAST!" Sailor Mercury cried, hitting the youma with all she had.

The youma screamed angrily, blocking the attack. The Scouts were having trouble fighting it as with three heads it was able to keep an eye on its surroundings. Thinking quickly, Tuxedo Mask flung a steel tipped rose at the middle head. The rose struck true, hitting the head in its single eye.

"Mars fire... IGNITE!" Sailor Mars cried, burning the eyes of a second head.

The beast howled in pain and sent energy blasts out in all directions. Tuxedo Mask instantly knew Sailor Moon was in danger, the sixth sense he seemed to have with her always told him when she was about to be hurt. He sprung toward her but was surprised when Sailor Jupiter sprung at her too, knocking him out of the way. The Scout quickly grasped Sailor Moon's arm and, leaping again, pulled her out of harms way.

_What on earth was THAT?_ Tuxedo Mask thought with annoyance. He saw an energy blast coming at him and quickly leapt out of the way just in time to escape a nasty hit.

"Sailor Moon you have to dust this thing, we'll hold it off!" Jupiter said to Sailor Moon who nodded her reply.

Sailor Jupiter, Mercury, Venus and Mars surrounded the youma on all sides and attacked, harassing the fiend to buy time for Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon didn't waste time in using her moon tiara attack to obliterate the fiend.

"Well done Sailor Moon," Tuxedo Mask said, striding up to the heroine to check if she were ok.

"Uh, thank you Tuxedo Mask," she said shyly, digging her red boot toe into the ground.

_Is she not going to look at me?_ he wondered, frowning._ This day is getting stranger by the minute!_

"Come on Sailor Moon. _Now_,"Sailor Mars said pointedly.

"Yeah Sailor Moon, we have things to do," Sailor Jupiter said with an edge to her voice.

Tuxedo Mask just looked at the girls bewildered. Sure they were both after the crystals, but it's not like they were mortal enemies. Why were they acting like he were a threat all of a sudden?

"Uh yeah, coming," Sailor Moon said meekly, casting an apologetic glance at the Tuxedo Mask. Tuxedo Mask frowned but turned on his heel and began to walk away, yet not before her heard Sailor Moon say to the Scouts softly, "Come on guys, it's not his fault."

"No its all yours!" Sailor Venus said with some delight in her voice.

_This day is definitely one of the weirder ones in my life_, Tuxedo Mask thought, thoroughly perplexed by the day's events.

_._

Sailor Moon leapt through her bedroom window and de-transformed. She had received an absolute earful from the girls after that battle with more warnings and threats to avoid Tuxedo Mask. She sighed but smiled ruefully. It had been a great kiss!

"Honey is that you?" her mother's voice called to her from beyond her bedroom door.

"Yeah mum, I'm sorry I didn't see you when I came in. I've just had a long day," Serena called back in a tired voice. She WAS tired... battling youma is tough work!

"Ok sweetie, goodnight," her mother replied.

Serena snuggled beneath the covers of her bed and fell into a peaceful sleep.

.

Pale blue eyes opened against alabaster skin.

_Where am I?_

She looked around and saw some thick doona over her body. She sat up, pulling the doona away. She was in a room that she didn't recognise, but was familiar to her, somehow. She rubbed her eyes. It felt like she had been asleep for a thousand years. She gathered her thoughts, concentrating the balance of power in her body. It had lain dormant while she slept but now she was fully awake finally. For too long she had been barely conscious and now she was free. Her memories suddenly came rushing back to her; a battle, fire and destruction around her, an evil cackle, a bright light, and then death.

_Death? I died?_

She shuddered, remembering the final moments as her body fell limp in that bright light. Sobs suddenly wracked her body as she remembered her lover's death, his deep blue eyes darkening and finally closing as the numbness had taken him from her.

_Endymion_. _My love. _

She wept for her lost lover and all that had befallen their kingdoms.

_Endymion! _Her heart cried out.

_._

Darien awoke with a start.

.

_My love! He is here! He is alive!_

Serenity could not contain her joy. She leapt out of the bed she was in to follow her heart to Endymion. She looked down at the foreign clothes she was wearing. Pink, fluffy bunnies graced light blue pyjamas.

_This won't do to meet my Prince_, she thought, wrinkling her nose delicately. Immediately a gown of the finest, whitest, shimmering silk covered her, grazing her body to the floor. She smiled, _Perfect._

She began to look for an escape from the room she was in. Surely there was a way out! Her search was suddenly interrupted by a thin white line appearing in midair to form a rectangle in the room.

"Sailor Pluto," Serenity said, addressing the senshei that appeared in the door.

"Highness," Pluto replied.

"Where am I, and when am I Pluto?" Serenity enquired intelligently.

"Serenity, gather your thoughts and you will know. I doubt your powers have faded even after so much time," Pluto said.

Serenity considered her situation, looking within her mind's eye. Memories of a life, her life, as Serena Tsukino flooded her conscious mind.

"Ah I see," Serenity said thoughtfully, "Mother used the Imperium Silver Crystal didn't she, and we were reborn," she stated quietly, "Now all that remains to know is why Serena's, my, subconscious memory has suddenly been awakened?"

"Pluto is in planetary alignment with the Earth. The moon is moving into her zenith and will be full in a few nights," Pluto replied.

"Ah hah, so the planet of time and space is perfectly aligned to cause some trouble," Serenity teased.

"Yes Serenity," Pluto replied, deadpan, "This is serious."

"No, it will be fine," Serenity replied. She suddenly smiled as a memory of a dark haired man with deep blue eyes arose in her consciousness. "Darien," she said, testing the name.

"NO!" Pluto said forcefully, "You mustn't cause trouble Serenity. The timeline will be affected. You cannot see him. He does not remember. Serena, you, are not meant to remember."

"Well, how do you know that my meeting him right now is not a part of the timeline Pluto? If I remember correctly, you can view the future and visit the present, but the past is unchangeable hmm?" Serenity said smugly. "Serena and her Scouts do not know it but it is why the NegaForce will never win in this time and place. They do not belong at this time and the forces of the universe work against them to purge their unnatural presence."

Pluto sighed. Serenity was always too good a debater, "Fine, just don't tell him too much. You wouldn't want your Prince's head to explode now from shock would you?"

"No," Serenity smiled.

"Fine, but remember, the Moon will reach its zenith in a few days," Pluto warned.

"I will remember," Serenity replied sadly.

.

"Princess!" Darien called, walking the dark streets of Tokyo. She was here, he had to find her!

"I am here," a voice whispered in his ear. He suddenly found himself in the Tokyo Gardens, transported there by a whisper of power from the beautiful woman who stood so serenely staring at the crescent moon.

"It is beautiful is it not?" she said softly.

"Yes," he gasped, looking only at her.

She smiled, "My love I could always read your thoughts,"

Darien blushed lightly, overwhelmed with joy, "You have called me these many months. Where have you been? I have searched for the cry-" he was cut off by her soft finger pressed against his lips.

"Darien," her voice was heaven in his ears, "I have been asleep for so long. My hearts cry was to you. For when you do find the crystal's I shall, _we shall_, be free," she explained.

"But what about now?" Darien said desperately.

"I suppose you could say that fate has been kind to me, to us, for now," she said sadly.

"Princess?"

"Hold me," she whispered, shedding silent tears.

Darien pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her golden hair. He inhaled her scent as deeply as he could, as if he could indelibly imprint her memory upon his soul.

.

Darien awoke with a start. It was morning. He frantically looked around him. He was in his room, in his bed. His chest heaved as he sobbed out his heartache and frustration. She was gone.

"NOOOO!" he howled.

**CHAPTER 6: ONLY IN MY DREAMS**

Serena woke up with a satisfied yawn. She had slept quite well and was feeling energised for a new day.

"Serena? You're up?" Luna asked the blonde girl, slightly surprised.

"Yeah, am I late?"

"Um, no you should be on time today if you get out of bed right now."

"Great!" Serena said happily, getting dressed for school. She skipped down the stairs to the breakfast table to grab a slice of toast and kiss her mum on the cheek as a goodbye.

"Have a good day sweetie," her mum's reply came.

Serena strolled toward the Juuban High School, enjoying the warm day. Arriving at school on time she was glad to realise that she hadn't even bumped into the ever-annoying Darien. It was turning out to be a good day!

.

"Hey Serena," Mina said, tapping her friend's shoulder as the lunch bell rang, "Do you want me to grab you something from the cafeteria?"

"Yeah sure, a couple sandwiches would be nice Mina," Serena replied, "I'll see you under the tree."

Serena made her way out into the playground to fine Raye, Lita and Ami already seated under 'their' tree.

"Hey Serena," Ami greeted her friend.

"Hey guys," Serena said, plopping down beside them, "What's up?"

"We were just talking about these dreams we have been having," Lita replied.

"Oh what kind?"

"I dreamt about a Prince and Princess named Endymion and Serenity," Raye said, "I've been having these dreams the last week, so has Raye and Ami, what about you?" Raye quizzed Serena, looking at her intently.

"Uh, yeah, I have too," Serena replied, "That's really strange."

"What's really strange?" Mina asked as she joined the four girls.

"Have you dreamt about a Prince and Princess called-" Ami began but was cut off by Mina's reply.

"Endymion and Serenity? Yep. I think she is the princess we are looking for," Mina said absently.

"So what is with the dreams?" Serena asked, confused.

"Maybe we are getting close to finding her?" Ami suggested.

"Maybe she is getting closer to us," Raye said cryptically.

.

School ended and the five girls walked together to the temple. Luna and Artemis were meant to meet them there for their weekly Scout meeting.

"Hello girls," Artemis said, appearing from behind a ledge.

"Girls," Luna greeted them.

"Hey Luna, we need to ask you about something," Raye spoke.

"What is it girls?"

"We've all been having dreams about a Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity," Mina interjected, "I'm pretty sure that she is the princess we are looking for."

"She most certainly is! This is a surprise. You say all of you are dreaming about her?" Artemis piped up.

"Yep, all of us," Serena said, "Raye thinks the princess is close to us."

"She probably is girls," Luna said thoughtfully.

"Why can't we feel her presence then? Surely we would?" Raye said a little frustrated. She had stared into her fire so many nights but had found nothing.

"I'm not surprised," Luna said, "The Princess is very powerful and is probably shielding herself so that the wrong people don't find her."

"That doesn't make it easy on US," Serena complained.

"Don't worry. When the time is right we will find her. Until then just keep watch," Artemis said sagely.

The girls nodded then said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Sailor Scouts they might be but they DID have to do their homework and chores!

.

Later that night...

"Darien."

Darien woke to find himself in the Tokyo Gardens again with the beautiful princess.

"You're here," he said, glad to see her.

"Yes, I am sorry about last night. I didn't realise that I would have to leave so soon and so I sent you home. I hope you don't mind," she apologized.

Darien really didn't care about much right now except the sound of her voice in his ears as his eyes drank in her beauty. He could swear she almost glowed in the pale moonlight. She leant into him and once again he wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on hers.

"Who are you?" Darien asked her gently.

"I am Princess Serenity. Or rather, I was."

"Was?"

She sighed, "There are things you won't understand just yet. I am, was and if things go to plan will be Serenity. Right now I am a living memory. Certain events have allowed me to be revealed for now. When you find the crystals then I will be restored whole once again."

"Where did you go last night when you left me?"

She smiled. "I went home. I had to. I can only be this way while..." her voice trailed off.

"While what?"

"Darien," she began to explain, "I lived a long time ago but was reborn and am now living as a young girl in Tokyo. When she is asleep, I can rise up and become conscious, if that is the word to use. But when she is awake, her consciousness is in control and I become a very distant and forgotten memory. She does not even know who she really is – me."

"And the dreams you have been sending me?"

"I was, am, endowed with certain abilities. But they are even limited while she does not remember me. I have done what I can."

"Who are you when you aren't with me now?" he breathed against her forehead.

She looked away from him, "I cannot tell you. It is not time."

He wanted to push the point but the way she said it silenced him.

"Darien. I have to go."

He held her tighter, "Please don't."

"I will see you tomorrow night. Don't be afraid. We have time," she smiled.

Her face faded from his vision until he realised he was back home and in bed. He closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. So many questions had been answered tonight, but there were so many left unanswered. But she WAS here. He just didn't know her when she was 'herself' during the day. Maybe he could find her and help his princess remember who she really was.

**CHAPTER 7: ENIGMA**

"Serena. It's time to get up," Luna said, poking the sleeping blonde.

"Ok Luna," Serena said brightly.

"Wow, that's a first," Luna said teasingly.

"Yeah, I just had a really good sleep I guess. I feel like everything is right in the universe," Serena smiled.

"Well it won't be right with your teachers if you don't get to class on time," Luna replied.

Serena just laughed.

.

Serena strolled casually to school, waving to Andrew as she walked past the Arcade. She blew him a kiss and he stuck his tongue out at her as she giggled. Turning her face back to the path in front of her, she of course had to bump into you-know-who! If not yesterday, then it had to happen today.

"Like clockwork, huh Darien?" she said pertly.

"Mmm."

"Geez Darien you look awful," Serena teased.

"Mm," was all the response she got as he continued past her and into the Arcade.

Serena shrugged and continued onto school.

.

"Hey Darien... whoa! What happened to you?!" Andrew asked his friend, shocked at his bedraggled appearance. Darien had obviously not done his hair and looked like he hadn't slept in a week.

"Ah Andrew, you wouldn't believe it," Darien smiled weakly.

"Try me," the blonde said encouragingly.

"A girl."

Andrew gaped, "A girl has finally got you running in circles? Wow. Never thought I would see the day." Andrew grinned and ducked as his friend through some napkins at him.

"Yeah, she's amazing," Darien said softly, but sadly.

"Why so sad man?"

"Because she will be leaving soon, I think, and I won't see her again for a while," Darien sighed, that annoying sixth sense of his spelling impending doom and heartache.

"Damn, that's harsh."

"Yeah, I have to go to class Andrew. I'll come back later and you can try to cheer me up," Darien said light-heartedly to his friend as he left through the Arcade doors.

.

Several hours later...

"The usual Andrew, but with a double scoop of ice cream this time!" Serena squealed at Andrew.

"No detention today Serena?" Andrew asked with a grin as he made the usual – banana whipped cream sundae with nuts and sprinkles. Double scoop this time of course.

"Nup! I even passed my geography test. I got an 80 can you believe! Maybe I should sleep more often!"

"Sleep more?" Andrew enquired, eyebrow lifted.

"Yeah, for some reason I have been having the best sleep this week. So if it helps me get to school on time and pass my tests, I say up with sleep!" Serena winked at Andrew.

"Figures only you could correlate sleep with success Serena," Darien drawled as he sat next to her at the counter.

Serena appropriately stuck her tongue out at him and started to dig into her (well-deserved) Sunday, _Success deserves its reward!_ She thought gleefully.

"So Serena, have you seen that guy you aren't meant to be seeing?" Andrew teased as he dried some dishes.

Serena blushed between mouthfuls of ice cream and sprinkles, "Only once, but the girls were there and dragged me away."

Darien, who had been in his own thoughts, suddenly snapped back to reality at the mention of this guy, _allegedly _Tuxedo Mask, who Serena was meant to stay away from. _Not that Tuxedo Mask would have any trouble staying away from her, how on Earth can her and her friends believe I would actually kiss her?_

"So who is this guy?" Darien asked lightly, though behind the words his mind was prepared to carefully analyse every single tiny detail of Serena's response. He had a knack for knowing when someone was lying.

"Oh, no one you would know... uh... personally," Serena said, blushing.

_Truth, but she doesn't know who I am_, Darien thought darkly.

"The girls said he was older?" Andrew enquired, also interested to know more about the mystery guy.

"Uh yeah he is kind-a, a little, a bit, a few years... um... older," Serena said, looking very nervous.

_Truth again, but she's holding out. Why? Wouldn't any young girl want to go around telling people about a kiss with Tuxedo Mask?_ Darien wondered.

"How did your friends know who it was? They were pretty peeved when I spilt that little secret. Meatball head, had I known I would have had as much fun that day as I did I would have said something sooner," Darien jibed at her, determined to rile her up and see if she would say something out of turn.

Serena bristled but remained in control, barely, _He's such a jerk_, she thought.

"They were THERE Darien! They saw us together but didn't realise what had happened because they got there a split second later," Serena snapped at him.

"Whoa Serena, why so upset?" Andrew said, both eyebrows up high in the air.

"Because!" Serena moaned, "I was _hoping_ to see him again. But now MORON here spilt the beans I'll never get another chance with them watching over me like a vulture over a carcass!" she said, jerking her thumb at Darien for the 'moron' part.

"Oh REALLY Serena?" Raye's voice came from behind them.

Serena groaned, leant forward and banged her head several times on the counter in front of her.

"Serena Tsukino you shouldn't be having such thoughts about you-know-who, because you-know-why!" Raye hissed.

"Yeah Serena, and you are right, make one wrong move and I'll be all over you like a vulture on your dead carcass!" Lita threatened.

"Oh come on guys. You know its not that bad because of you-know-what-I-did-right-after-you-got-there," Serena said cryptically.

"Why are you girls talking in riddles?" Andrew said, "Fess up! I want the gossip, this isn't fair and by golly its my Arcade! I should know these things!"

"Oh uh, Andrew, I just told him I couldn't see him again, you know, because of THEM," Serena said, throwing a glance at the girls.

_Now THAT is a lie_, Darien observed with keen interest.

**CHAPTER 8: REMEMBER ME THIS WAY**

Darien made his way to the Tokyo Gardens to 'their spot'; their spot only because it was where they had met the previous two nights.

"Darien," her soft voice came to him.

He turned to see her behind him.

"Serenity," he replied equally softly.

"Walk with me," she offered with a smile.

He took her arm and they wandered the gardens together in comfortable silence. He couldn't help but stare at her. For months she had been only a half-seen vision in his dreams and now she was a living, breathing reality before him. He wanted to remember everything about her; every angle of her face, every smile, every slight gesture, the way her hair flowed softly about her in the moonlight.

"Serenity, who am I?"

He felt the slight pause in her step before she seamlessly continued to walk with him. She sighed deeply, and looked up at the near-full moon.

"It's a beautiful night Darien," she said.

"Who am I, Serenity?" Darien asked, pushing the point as gently as he could.

Serena sighed again and looked at him with those infinite pools of pale blue loveliness, "Darien, you are who you need to be. You are Tuxedo Mask, hero of Tokyo. Yet you, like me when I am awake, are more than what you seem. This part of you I cannot tell you."

"Why can't I remember?"

"It had to be this way. You will see. But do not fear, you will remember when I am remembered. When the memory of me is fully conscious in my waking mind then I believe we shall both remember all," Serenity said calmly, "I trust that all will fall into place, eventually."

"Serenity, how can I help you remember who you are?" Darien pleaded.

She smiled at him lovingly, "I am nearer than you think Darien. I can only tell you one thing: Remember me this way, because I am right beside you, I am a special friend that never lets others down and even a blind man can see the love I hold in my heart for my friends and my fierce loyalty, and even the love they have for me. If only you would look and see."

Darien felt tears come to his eyes. She was so close, how could he NOT see her? How could she have been so close to him all this time and he was blind to his princess? He fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around the woman beside of him as sobs wracked his body.

"Serenity, I need you. Please don't leave. Tell me who you are. I'll do anything," Darien begged.

"My love, Darien, life hasn't been kind to you I know. But please be strong, I need you too," Serenity said soothingly as she stroked his hair. Tears fell from her eyes as dawn approached, signalling the inevitable, "Darien, I must go now," she said sadly.

"NO!" he said, pulling her to him more tightly, "I won't let you!"

"Tomorrow night my love," she said, fading from his grasp.

Darien only howled his anguished response into the dawn as his princess vanished from his arms.

Serenity cried silent tears as she left Darien's embrace. Tomorrow night was her last night to see him as the moon reached its zenith. Then she would be forced into virtual non-existence again.

**CHAPTER 9: COLLISION COURSE**

Serena woke sobbing as if her own heart had been torn in two.

"Serena!" her mother cried as she sat on the bed and pulled her sobbing daughter into her arms. "Shh sweetie it's just a dream, just a dream," she said soothingly.

"I.. hic... sniffle... know... sob... but... it feels so REAL," Serena bawled.

"Come on Serena, it's ok. Get up and get dressed, you have to meet your friends for breakfast remember? It's Saturday," her mum said gently, wiping the tears away from her face.

"Ok... hic... thanks mum," Serena replied with a watery smile.

She got dressed and trudged slowly to the Arcade to meet the girls. Arriving there, she flopped onto her usual stool and sighed, laying her head down on the counter.

"Good morning Serena, how are you today?" Andrew asked cheerily.

"Terrible," Serena mumbled.

"How come?"

"Oh its just a dream I had. It was so sad," Serena sighed.

"Oh, want some pancakes with syrup, cheer you up?" Andrew offered, certain that food would solve this problem.

"No... I'm not hungry..." Serena murmured.

Andrew stood there shocked. His expression turned ghastly when he saw his best friend trudge into the Arcade, flop onto the stool right beside Serena and lay his head on the counter just like Serena.

"Hey meatball head," Darien mumbled though without malice.

"Hey jerk," she said back softly, too affected by her dream to be insulted.

"What's wrong with you? Its Saturday, you can't have failed a test yet?" he said tiredly.

"Funny. What's wrong with you? Did you finally realise how boring you are?" she replied, closing her eyes.

"No," he said.

"Me either," she replied.

"Serena, I got a booth get over here," Mina called from behind Serena.

Serena lay there a moment, "Later loser," she murmured.

"Later klutz," was the reply.

Andrew just stared at this incredibly lame fight between Darien and Serena. Both of them looked awful.

"Darien, what's wrong?" Andrew asked.

"Nothing, coffee please," Darien just muttered in reply. _Pull yourself together Darien!_

.

Serena walked slowly to the booth where her friends were sitting, dragging her feet, "Hi guys," she said wistfully, laying her head on her hands.

"Serena, what's wrong?" Ami asked.

"I had this awful dream about the Prince and Princess. A few weeks ago I dreamt that they were happy, but last night they were being separated. I could feel their heartbreak at having to leave each other. It was like a knife through my own heart," Serena said, tears rolling down her cheek.

"Oh Serena, it's ok, it's just a dream," Lita said kindly, stroking Serena's hair.

"Come on, we're going to go see a movie, then we can have lunch in the gardens and play Frisbee!" Raye said enthusiastically.

"Ok," Serena said, brightening a little.

"Hey Andrew, do you want to see a movie?" Mina practically purred at him.

"Uh, I can't today, have to work," Andrew said apologetically, "But take Darien here, he needs to do something apart from sitting here killing the atmosphere."

"No thanks-" Darien started to say.

"Nonsense! Come on!" Mina cried, grabbing Darien's arm and dragging him out of the Arcade with them.

"Have fun!" Andrew called after them.

.

"Serena, Darien, geez you guys are so gloomy today!" Lita complained.

"Yeah guys, lighten up!" Raye added.

The girls were only rewarded with two glum stares from the gloomy pair.

"Fine, have it your way!" Raye said, tossing her hair, "Just sit there while we go have fun!"

Serena and Darien watched as Ami, Raye, Lita and Mina enjoyed a game of Frisbee.

Serena decided to speak first, so as not to be rude, "So Darien, enjoy the movie?"

"Um yeah... what was it again?" he mumbled.

Serena laughed, "I don't remember either. Some sappy romance thing."

"I thought you liked that sort of thing miss I'm-only-meant-for-one-person," Darien said lightly, somewhat enjoying the distraction of talking to Serena as it spared him from thinking about _her_ for a moment.

"No, I believe in the real thing," Serena said sadly.

"The real thing huh? What would you know about that? You're only 15."

"Because I've met him, but I don't think I'll ever get to see him again," Serena said softly.

"Oh," Darien replied, unsure how to respond, "Well believe it or not meatball head I know how you feel."

"How so?"

"I've met a girl who is the one for me as well. But she's leaving and I don't know when she's coming back," Darien confided quietly.

"Oh, sorry to hear that... HEY!" Serena yelled suddenly leaping up to help a young boy being pushed around by two others a few metres away. "Leave him alone you little brats or I'll smack you into next week!" she growled protectively.

The two boys stuck their tongues out at her and ran away.

She turned to the little boy behind her, kneeling down to him as she cooed, "Are you ok kiddo?"

"Yeah," he said shyly.

"Alright, just be careful of those boys ok?" Serena said kindly.

"Thank you miss," the little boy said before giving her a kiss on the cheek and running away blushing madly.

Serena sat back down with Darien.

"That was nice of you," Darien remarked.

"Oh it was nothing. You should have seen me the other day when some idiot pinched Mina's bum and actually whistled at her. I totally gave him a black eye," she grinned, "Lucky Lita was there too because he looked pretty angry at me."

Darien laughed, "You love them don't you?" he said somewhat sadly.

"Of course, they are my friends, they may as well be my family," she said happily.

"What about Andrew?"

"He's the big brother I never had."

"What about me?"

"You're my annoying cousin!" she laughed.

Darien laughed too, suddenly enjoying himself. His heart warmed at the thought that even though they fought almost everyday Serena actually considered him to be in her circle of close friends. He had cousin status! He smiled at the girl next to him, his first smile all day, glad to get to know her better. _There really is more to her than meatballs and klutz attacks_, he thought.

Serena felt glad to make Darien laugh seeing as he had been so glum all day. It made her feel better too.

**CHAPTER 10: A NEW BEGINNING**

"Thanks girls," Darien said, grateful for their company today.

"No problem Darien, anytime," Lita said cheerily.

"Uh thanks for the chat Serena," Darien said somewhat shyly.

"No problem, like Lita said, anytime," she smiled back as the girls left for home.

It was late, the sun was setting, and Darien decided to wait for his princess to come to him again. He sat at the lake to watch the sun set in the evening sky.

"Darien."

He frowned. It was her voice but different. He turned from his sitting position to see Serena.

"Oh hey meatball head, what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to say thanks for the chat too. I never realised we haven't ever had a real conversation before. It was uh... nice seeing another side of you I guess," she said shyly.

"Oh, sure, me too meatball head. You're not so bad yourself. I can tell that you and your friends are like sisters really. I never knew you had such a big heart," Darien smiled at her, "But I'm still going to tease you like crazy. Its fun you know?" he said with a shrug.

She smiled back and poked her tongue out at him, "Still the same conceited jerk huh?" She looked up into the sky at the full moon and sighed, "He kissed me here you know, under the moon a few weeks ago."

Darien raised his eyebrows, "You were out in the dark with this guy?" _Yeah I know it was meant to be me... which I DOUBT, but still, what was she doing out at night?_

She blushed, "I can take care of myself, besides the girls were there. They just didn't get to see the juicy part!" she giggled, holding her arms around her. She suddenly felt breathless and stumbled forward.

"Serena?"

Serena fell to her knees as a wave of numbness encompassed her. She tried to hold on but suddenly everything faded to black.

.

"Serena!" Darien cried as she collapsed to the ground. He rolled her onto her back and quickly checked her vital signs, relieved to find that she had only fainted. He patted her hand, "Serena, come on wake up."

A glow suddenly came over her body, and he fell backwards alarmed. He watched as a golden crescent moon appeared on her forehead, followed quickly by a shimmer of light as a white dress rolled itself down her body. He gaped at the sight before him.

Serenity sat up, "Free!" she breathed.

"Serenity?" Darien gasped.

"Darien," she said as only she could say, "Don't be afraid."

"I..."

"I know it's a shock. Sit with me," she gently commanded.

"You're Serena?"

"I am."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I couldn't, but now must be the time. Great evil is coming and she must prepare herself."

"But she's just... Serena?"

"She is more than what she seems Darien. It is why I told you to remember _me_ last night, and not look upon her as you see her. That is the reason you could never _see_," Serenity explained patiently.

"But you said she cannot remember until I have all the crystals?"

"No Darien, I said that she would be wholly restored. No memory can ever be erased. It is always there, it just sometimes needs some help. When the crystals come together, then everything will come together," Serenity said simply.

"You'll come back to me?"

"No."

"WHY! Why have you called me in my dreams only to leave me this way?" Darien said harshly, the words bitter in his mouth.

"Darien, how can you love a shadow? Would you want me to love you for someone you are not?"

"I don't understand."

"I cannot reveal to you all, but even as I am a memory of long ago you too have such a memory of another self from long ago."

"We loved eachother?"

"I loved him, and he loved me."

"You do not love me now?"

Serenity laughed, "Darien, as much as you want my love and believe you love me, I could never fill that hole in your heart. Do you find that ironic? I do," she mused.

"I don't understand."

"Darien, true love happens once. I died long ago and remain only as a memory in the mind of my reborn self. I exist because _she_ does. If the love Endymion and I shared is to carry on, it too must be reborn."

"You tell him too much!" a voice interrupted.

"Ah my friend, right on time," Serenity said lightly.

"Who is she?" Darien asked, galcning at the intruder.

"No one you need to know yet," the woman replied, her staff glimmering dangerously in the moonlight.

"I had to, you know as well as I that she has to remember! A great evil is coming; I can feel it breathing down my neck!" Serenity said forcefully to the woman. She turned to Darien, "I am waning; I was only able to take control of Serena's conscious at the full moon when my power was at its best. Soon I will be gone again, forced into her unconscious. You must help her Darien, you must love her!" Serenity wept.

"But I've never felt that way about her!"

"Yes you have, you just never knew! Darien trust your instincts! She is so much more than what she seems, I am so proud of her. She's strong, and she loves with a ferocity you will be completely unprepared for! She's loyal and kind, the type of person who would give their life for others! She is the key to everything and without her we are doomed!" Serenity cried, clinging to him.

"I... I have?"

"You don't remember I know. The moment was only brief but it was enough for me to know that given the chance a love that has now spanned a thousand years could be rekindled. But remember what I said, you can forget but your memory can never be erased!"

"What do I do now?"

"You will know for when you open your heart... you will open your mind... Serena has such a loving open heart... it is why I was able to call to you in your dreams..." her voice trailed away and her hands released him as she fell softly back onto the grass.

"Serenity?"

"She is gone. The moon is past its zenith. You, young man, would do well to heed each and every word Serenity said. You would be a fool to disregard her wisdom," the green haired woman said, biting out every word.

"Who are you again?"

"It is best that you forget I ever was here. I shouldn't have come, but I was concerned for Serenity. My loyalty is to her and always will be," she stated resolutely. "I must go, I have tarried too long," she said before stepping into nothingness and disappearing from his sight.

"Mm... Darien?" Serena mumbled, "Did I faint?"

"Uh... yeah, you did meatball head you klutz," he said lightly.

"Sorry, that was weird. Gosh it's late! I have to get going, my parents will be worried," Serena said, getting up.

"Can I walk you home? Just to make sure you get there safely," _and to find out where you live._

"Uh sure," Serena replied, "But you will have to stop at the corner before my house. My dad is really over protective of me... you know how it is," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah," Darien said, thoroughly overwhelmed by tonight's events.

They walked to Serena's street silently before bidding each other goodnight, and he watched as she disappeared inside a petite white house. Darien made his way home and had a quick shower before falling into bed. He stared up at the ceiling.

_She is more than what she seems. But how can I do what Serenity asked? I've never felt any affection, let alone love, for her. But Serenity said that I did but cannot remember. What changed then and WHY can't I remember? Has it got anything to do with that kiss she supposedly shared with Tuxedo Mask? How am I meant to help love be reborn anyway?_

Darien sighed roughly, frustrated.

_How am I meant to help her remember, when I can't even remember myself?_

**CHAPTER 11: EPILOGUE**

"Hey Darien, you're looking better today," Andrew greeted his friend who had walked into the Arcade.

"Yeah I feel better. Still a bit muddled but apparently it will all work out," Darien replied.

"Wanna talk about it?" Andrew asked with a knowing look.

"Andrew, well, I've forgotten something really important and I cannot remember what it is for the life of me," Darien confessed, leaving the major parts of his story out, like oh how he couldn't remember kissing Serena as Tuxedo Mask. _I may as well start there, it's the best place to start figuring out these feelings I was meant to have for her_, he thought.

"That's easy Darien. Just recreate the moment you forgot whatever it was. I do it all the time when I lose my keys. I stand in the doorway, if I walked to the kitchen I'll go in there, remember that I went to the bedroom and then I find myself in the bathroom looking in the third drawer where my keys ended up," Andrew babbled.

"What if I wanted to help someone else remember?" Darien asked, glad for his friend's wisdom.

"Oh it's pretty much the same thing. Just recreate the moment for them and they should start to catch on. Memory is a funny thing my friend. Anything could set it off," Andrew said sagely as he dried the dishes.

"Thanks Andrew, I think I might try that," Darien chirruped, "Andrew, just one more thing. What can I do to change my feelin- er, opinion of a person? I feel stuck thinking about them this one way and I don't think I want to think about them that way anymore," Darien asked.

"That was incredibly cryptic Darien, but to answer your question, you need to see them differently," Andrew replied.

"See them... differently," Darien repeated.

"Yeah, then you can remember them for the qualities you like I suppose," Andrew added.

Darien smiled. "Thanks Andrew, you've been a real big help," Darien said gratefully, looking at his watch, "Oh damn, I have to go I'm late. See you this afternoon Andrew."

"Bye Darien."

Darien strolled happily out of the arcade whistling a soft tune. Serenity's final words had at last made sense to him. He would remember her. He would look at her and really see her. But not just for the part that was Serenity, but for everything she was.

.

Pluto smiled at her mirror as she saw the handsome young man leave the place they called the Arcade. Serenity was right, everything was going to plan. He did not consciously know it but the flame of true love had just been rekindled in the heart of the reborn Prince Endymion, and a new hope arose in him as he faced the world. Pluto, the guardian of time and space, stood in awe of the universe around her. Yes she had the ability to move from age to age, era to era, but she was not all powerful, all knowing and all present. She could not have known that Serenity's unexpected interruption in Darien's life would be the nudge he needed to finally let his guard down and let her light shine in his heart – a light he had previously been blocking out. Pluto sighed. He was such a blockhead, but Serenity was right, life had been unkind to him. It was only the walls he had built up in his heart that had prevented him from finding his princess sooner.

"I told you it would work out Pluto," a gentle voice said knowingly.

"How could you be so certain?" Pluto replied.

"Because there is a larger force in the universe than us, even with all our powers combined there is one who controls fate. Therefore we shall never err, even when the unexpected occurs," the voice replied with a smile, "That, and you worry too much. Have a little faith in your Queen. She is young but we both know the ending as well as I stand before you now."

"Yes," Pluto said, bowing to the figure that had now appeared before her, "My Queen."

.

The End

No this isnt -the very end-, but it certainly is the end of this instalment.

Leave me feedback. Its only my second fanfic and Id like to know if Im any good or writing boring fiction :)


	3. SME Part 3: Darien Falls in Love

Disclaimer:

I dont own Sailor Moon at all. Not even one DVD.

I'm sorry for the full stops between paragraphs, for some reason it wont recognise the spaces between them.

This is the third instalment to the Sailor Moon Exposed story.

**Author's Note:**

If you received an alert I have only edited the story to fix my grammatical errors. Chapter 12 is yet to be updated.

**DARIEN FALLS IN LOVE**

**CHAPTER 1: DELOVELY**

Darien had entered the Arcade uncertain about what to do with all he had learnt over the past few days. His mystery princess was locked inside Serena's unconscious and it was up to him to fall in love with her, somehow.

_You must help her Darien, you must love her!_ Serenity had begged him.

Darien had no idea how on earth he could possibly fall in love with the meatball head. It's not like she held the qualities he desired in a girl like intelligence, a sense of duty and grace.

_It's not like you've dated a girl who had had more than one of any of those qualities Darien_, the little voice mocked. _You usually date girls who are the complete opposite of them, too scared to let someone you could love get near_, it sneered at him.

Darien sighed. He couldn't deny it and he didn't want to. He knew he couldn't do what Serenity had asked him to do half-heartedly and just take the girl on a few dates. Serenity had asked him to love her. But how could he do that when she just wasn't his type?

Having now spoken to Andrew he however felt a sense of renewed hope. If only he could see Serena, really see her like Serenity said, then he supposed that whatever he was meant to have felt (but couldn't remember right now for some reason) for her before could blossom again.

He laughed suddenly_, here I am meant to fall for her and she hates me_. Darien shook his head at the entire situation. Sure, his task was unbelievable and maybe near impossible, but he'd seen youmas, a woman disappear into thin air and had been pursuing the princess for months now only to find out she was really a memory of a dead woman from long ago. If all those things could happen in the last few days, he was logically able to consider the possibility of falling in love with Serena.

_Why am I doing this?_ His inner thoughts groaned. He was however only met with silence, the annoying little voice unusually quiet.

"Ok Darien, you can do this. You just need to find some of her good qualities. It'll be easy," he said to himself encouragingly.

Falling in love couldn't be that hard, right?

.

A week later, Darien had his answer. It was damn near impossible to fall in love with Serena! She was infuriating! Annoying! Crazy! Every time he saw her she was wasting her time eating, playing the Sailor V game at the arcade or doing something else equally redundant.

Take day one of Operation Fall in Love. He had tried to be nice to her when she had so obviously _not_ been looking where she was going and smashed into him for the umpteenth time. But no, she blamed him, HIM, for being in her way and then when he had (gently) corrected her error...

_Flashback: "Serena you meatball head, don't you watch where you are going at all? You clearly were the one who hit me because I happen to consider those around me..."_

... she went completely off the deep end...

_Flashback: "Darien you are such a jerk! I WAS watching where I was going for your information. You just turned suddenly and ran into me! It couldn't have happened better if you had planned it!"_

"_Yeah sure meatball head, I wonder who here has a firmer grasp on the ability to walk? Me or the Queen of Klutz... YEOW!" Darien had screamed as she stomped on his foot._

"_Oh I'm sorry Darien... you know me, Queen of Klutz..."_

... it was so clear that he was not at all at fault.

Day two was worse. He had tried to point out that she had unhealthy eating habits, but she of course didn't want to listen to good sense...

_Flashback: "Serena you are such a pig. Look at that – chips, a hotdog and onion rings. Honestly, one day you are going to blow up like a blimp when your metabolism slows down."_

"_Darien, do you mind explaining to me what a metabolism is before I reply?"_

_Darien had smiled, glad she was finally being reasonable, "It's the ability of your body to get rid of food, you know, how fast it is able to do so," he had said kindly and as simply as possible._

"_Oh, well in that case, I think I don't need to worry. My metabolism will always be this fast," she had replied as she unceremoniously dumped all her food over Darien. "See Darien, all gone," she had smiled sweetly before flouncing away._

_..._ Darien could still smell the onion in his clothes.

Day three he, mercifully, didn't see her. But day four made up for that. Again, he was trying to be polite, considerate even. She was drinking this huge chocolate shake, slurping it really, and he just couldn't help but want to gently advise her against drowning herself in the milkshake...

_Flashback: "Serena, shouldn't you drink that a little more slowly?"_

"_Why Darien?"_

"_Because it would be more ladylike."_

"_So I'm not a lady?"_

"_More like a little piggy," Darien had muttered, not realising she had heard him._

"_Oh REALLY?" she had screeched at him, dumping the chocolate shake in his lap, "Hey Andrew, could I have another shake?..."_

... it seemed quite clear by day four to Darien that she just couldn't act or even pretend to be mature, especially around food. But it was far from over.

On day five Darien was innocently walking to the college to hand in his term paper. He decided to stop by the Arcade to see Andrew...

_Flashback: "Hey Andrew, how are you going?"_

"_Great Darien, you?"_

"_I'm good, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be able to come to the movie tomorrow night. I've finished my term paper and its due today."_

"_Glad to hear it Darien, I'll see you at six."_

"_Sure, see you later Andrew. I have to get to the college. They won't accept my paper if its even a minute late and its half my grade."_

"_Alright, bye Darien."_

_20 minutes later..._

_Darien ran into the Arcade, puffed and out of breath._

"_Hey Andrew, I left my term paper here."_

"_Uh, sorry Darien. Serena was here ten minutes ago and said she would take it to you."_

"_She WHAT? Now I have to go find her!" Darien groaned audibly._

_He stalked out of the Arcade to search for her, looking worriedly at his watch. He had only 15 minutes to get his paper in. He went in the direction of the college but try as he might he couldn't find her. He looked at his watch again, only five minutes to hand it in..._

"_Hi Darien," a cheerful voice said to him._

"_Serena thank heaven! Where is the term paper?" Darien demanded._

"_I don't have it anymore Darien," she had replied hesitantly._

_Darien saw red and exploded, "You WHAT? You LOST it? That paper is worth HALF MY GRADE and I have exactly five minutes from now to get it in on time! Thanks Serena, I've just failed a class because of you," he'd said angrily._

_Serena just looked at him shocked before bowing her head and running away. He watched her go merciless. She should be upset for being so irresponsible._

... Darien banged his fist on the bench in front of him. She was infuriating! How on earth could he possibly even come to really like the girl, let alone love the irresponsible, ignorant brat?

**CHAPTER 2: PIECES OF THE PUZZLE**

Darien found himself in a field of sunflowers. The sun was warm on his face and a gentle breeze tousled his hair.

"Darien."

He whirled around. There was only one person who could say his name like that.

"Serenity."

"We have had an interesting week now haven't we?" Serenity said arching an eyebrow at him.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were gone?"

"I told you Darien. A memory can never be forgotten and I am only returned to my rightful place. As I was able to send you dreams before I am able to speak with you now still," she explained gently. "Now, about your week..."

"I know it was horrible!" Darien groaned.

"Yes it was. You were quite mean to her," Serenity said pertly.

"I... what?!"

"You know what I am talking about."

"I do not!" Darien denied vigorously.

"You enjoy teasing her."

"I DO NOT!" he gasped.

Serenity just smiled back at him, enigmatic as ever.

"Darien, what were you trying to do this week?"

"I was trying to do what you suggested. To see you in her, remember..." his voice trailed off.

"Darien, did I not tell you that I only exist because of her? That I am only a part of her?"

"So?"

"Darien, you are being stubborn."

"I know!" Darien exploded with emotion, "I just miss you. I want to be with you-"

"But Serena is in the way?"

Darien hesitated before dropping his head and whispering, "Yes."

"Darien," Serenity said, narrowing her eyes at him, "You should be ashamed. You cannot change her, no matter how hard you try. It is one of the things I love about her, about myself. She has an unquenchable spirit. She is a fire that will not be snuffed out."

Darien nodded glumly. Serenity gave him a hard look.

"You don't deserve her," she said levelly.

Darien's head snapped up to look at Serenity with shock and confusion.

"You heard me right. Your arrogance and pride are preventing you from opening your heart. Did I not say to you that when you open your heart you will open your mind? It cannot be done the other way around," Serenity said with wisdom and some sadness.

"I don't understand," Darien whispered, feeling strangely ashamed for some unknown reason.

"I know. But you will."

.

Darien awoke with a start, feeling the familiar pull of Sailor Moon's call to him. He looked at his clock – 2am in the morning.

_Damn NegaVerse, can't attack at a decent hour_.

.

The battle was already raging when he got there and the Scouts were taking a beating. Mars was holding her right arm tightly to her side while Mercury was favouring one leg over the other. Tuxedo Mask looked at the latest NegaVerse fiend and was dismayed to see it appeared to be a jell-o type monster. Those were some of the most annoying to fight and destroy.

"Venus crescent beam... SMASH!" Sailor Venus cried, sending a spray of crescent ammunition through the jell-o fiend. The fiend only giggled.

"That tickles!" it grinned evilly, "My turn now!" it said as it shot acidic jell-o out randomly.

The Sailor Scouts cried out and leapt out of the way. Jupiter and Mercury were unfortunate enough to be hit by a small blob each and it sizzled on their skin painfully. Tuxedo Mask saw Sailor Moon get up with an incredibly ticked look on her face. She was holding her hair in her hand - a part of it had sizzled away.

"You stupid NegaTrash! Look what you have DONE!" she screamed angrily. Tuxedo Mask blanched, he'd never seen Sailor Moon look so determined to do a youma damage before. He grinned, enjoying this new side of the super heroine with whom he enjoyed a somewhat light flirtation every now and then.

_Feisty_, he thought.

The fiend foolishly laughed at Sailor Moon's new hair style. Sailor Moon narrowed her eyes and grabbed her tiara.

"Moon Tiara MAGIC!" she shouted angrily, hurling the tiara with deadly accuracy.

The youma screamed as the tiara shot through it several times before completely disintegrating.

"Well done Sailor Moon," Tuxedo Mask said, coming to stand beside her.

"Thanks Tuxedo Mask," she replied, still frowning at the youma then turning her gaze to her singed locks.

"Sailor Moon," Mars said determinedly, "We have to _go_."

"Wait," Tuxedo Mask said.

The five scouts looked at him blankly.

"What's happened? In the last two months we have almost become enemies-" he started to say.

"But we are, aren't we? We are all looking for the crystals and let's face it you don't seem to want to share them," Jupiter said accusingly.

Tuxedo Mask sighed, "I am after the crystals yes, and for good reason..." he trailed off.

He looked up to see Sailor Moon looking nervously away while Jupiter and Mars had folded their arms and were tapping their feet impatiently. Sailor Venus and Mercury stood behind them, observing the dialogue.

"Well?" Sailor Mars snapped.

"I am looking for a princess. I need the crystals to find her," he said hesitantly. He was unsure whether he should share his mission with them or not, but he had also come to know them as fighting on the side of good no matter what. He could trust them far enough to tell them part of his story.

"Princess?" all five girls said at once.

He suddenly felt nervous, "Yes, a princess."

The girls looked at each other with knowing looks.

"Tuxedo Mask, have you dreamed of her?" Mercury asked him curiously.

"Yes, why?" he replied slowly, unsure where this line of communication was heading.

Mercury smiled, "Because we have all dreamt of a princess that we need to find too," she explained, "And I think it is unlikely that we are looking for different princesses given that we are all dreaming about a princess and we are all searching for the same crystals."

**.**

Tuxedo Mask paced the rooftop as the Sailor Scouts sat wherever they found a seat.

"So what are these dreams you are having?" Tuxedo Mask asked.

"In our dreams, we all see the princess with a prince named Endymion. Her name is Serenity. She's incredibly beautiful and he's a bit of eye candy as well," Raye said cheekily.

Sailor Moon fidgeted nervously. When she had heard the girls had all dreamt ABOUT the princess while she had dreamt that she WAS the princess, she had altered her version of the dreams to match theirs. Something told her to keep quiet about her unusual dreams.

Tuxedo Mask saw Sailor Moon fidget and felt her discomfort, "Sailor Moon, is this true?"

"Yes, we have all dreamt of Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion. They were very much in love but..." her voiced failed her for a moment as she remembered the heartache she had felt in her dream, "But they were separated for some reason. It killed them inside to part,' she said emotionally.

Tuxedo Mask felt the wave of strong emotion roll over her small frame, and wondered at her strong reaction to the dreams. He could only assume that the dreams of the Scouts were as powerful as his had been.

"What about you Tuxedo Mask?" Sailor Venus asked him.

"In my dreams the princess is asking me to find the crystals. I have seen no prince in my dreams," he replied truthfully.

"That's interesting," Sailor Mercury said thoughtfully.

Tuxedo Mask frowned, deep in thought. He suddenly remembered his original purpose in speaking to the scouts.

"Scouts, why did you suddenly turn on me the way you did? What did I do?" he enquired briskly.

He was met with nervous silence. Sailor Moon sighed, while Mars and Jupiter shot anxious glances at their leader. Venus looked almost amused at the encounter while Mercury looked away nervously. Tuxedo Mask sighed in frustration. It was clear something had happened that he was not privy to. His eyes ran over Sailor Moon's form, outlined in the moonlight. He had to admit he was somewhat attracted to the leader of the Scouts but shook his head at his thoughts. He couldn't allow himself that luxury – could he?

_Tuxedo Mask you scoundrel_, his conscience reprimanded him, and he blushed beneath his mask.

"Look its late and we all have alter-egos who have lives to live. We should go," Sailor Mercury said smartly, breaking the silence.

"What are we to do now?" Tuxedo Mask asked the Scouts.

"I don't know," Sailor Mars replied, "But let's all think about what has happened tonight and next time we meet we can hopefully come to some sort of agreement."

Tuxedo Mask nodded his assent and, with a quick bow, promptly leapt from the rooftop.

"Well, that was interesting," Sailor Jupiter observed.

"Yes it was..." Sailor Venus murmured.

"WAHHHHHH!"

The cry startled the Scouts and they jumped, turning to see where it had come from.

Sailor Moon sniffled, "My haaaiiiirrrrr!" she said, holding the limp burnt tresses out in front of her.

The Scouts sweat dropped and crashed to the ground, aghast at their leader.

**CHAPTER 3: SCHOOLS OUT**

"Serena..." a soft voice interrupted her sleep. Serena opened her eyes to see a furry black face marked only with a golden crescent moon staring at her.

"Luna... OH I'M LATE!" Serena shrieked, scrambling out of bed.

Luna screeched as she was flung from the bed in a rush of doona.

"Sorry Luna!" Serena called out, frantically getting ready for school.

Luna shook herself off and leapt onto the bed to stare balefully at Serena, "Serena, what are you doing?"

"I'm getting ready for school of course!"

"On your holidays?" Luna smiled.

"On my what?"

"School is out for a month Serena, it's the mid-year holidays," Luna explained to the clueless girl.

Serena stood there still for a moment.

"WHOOPPEEEEEE!" she squealed, grabbing Luna and spinning around with her in the air.

Luna fought the urge to vomit from the force of gravity acting on her stomach.

"Serena are you up?" her father's voice queried from beyond her bedroom door, "Can I come in?"

"Yes daddy!" she said, seeing her father enter her bedroom to sit on her bed.

"Sweetie, your mother and I have a surprise for you," he said, smiling at his daughter, "We are going on a family holiday into the mountains to enjoy the snow. There is a new hotel there that your mother and I were invited to visit by some work colleagues of mine."

"Really daddy?" Serena murmured.

"Sweetie, you don't look too happy. What's wrong pumpkin?"

"I just wanted to see my friends too these holidays daddy," she sighed.

"Well sweetheart that is the surprise. Your mother and I spoke to their parents and they will all be joining us. That is, except for Raye's grandfather and Mina's parents. Raye's grandfather has to stay at the temple while Mina's parents have pressing engagements they were unable to break."

"Oh DADDY!" Serena cried, launching herself into his arms, "This is the best surprise!"

"We are leaving today as well. Mina and Raye are coming with us today while Lita and Ami's families will join us in a few days, so you had best pack now," Kenji Tsukino said, tapping his daughter on the nose.

.

"Hey Darien, what do you think you will do now its holiday season?" Andrew asked his friend as he wiped down the counter at the Arcade.

"I'm not sure," Darien replied, "I haven't got plans."

"Well why don't you join me at this new hotel in the mountains? My uncle is one of the investors and invited me to be at the opening. It'll be great to enjoy the snow this time of year."

"I don't know Andrew... there are some things I have to do here."

"Like what Dare?"

"Beg college administration to allow me to resubmit my paper that meatball head lost," Darien said somewhat bitterly.

"Well, why don't you find that out today and then we can go from there?" Andrew said encouragingly.

"Sure, I'll be back right after Andrew," Darien smiled, "And Andrew, uh... thanks."

"No problem," Andrew replied knowingly. Darien had lost his parents to a car accident when he was very young and had no known family. Andrew had come to see him as a brother and hoped one day that Darien would be able to enjoy having a family of his own.

The door chimed as Darien left and Raye and Ami entered.

"Hey Andrew," the girls said, seating themselves at the counter.

"Hi girls, how are you? Do you have plans for the holidays?"

"YES!" they said in unison with bright smiles lighting their faces.

"Well you'll have to tell me now!" Andrew exclaimed.

"You know that new hotel in the mountains? Serena's dad organised with all of our parents for us all to go. I'm leaving with her and Mina today while Ami and Lita will be up with their parents in a few days," Raye said excitedly.

"Yes, it was wonderful of Mr Tsukino to organise for us girls to be together these holidays," Ami added politely.

"No kidding? I'm going there myself," Andrew said gobsmacked, "My uncle is an investor there and invited me up these holidays."

"Wow, then I guess we will see you there." Raye smiled.

"Yeah, I should be there at the end of the week. I just need to organise for someone to run the Arcade while I'm away and then I'm free to enjoy myself."

"That sounds great Andrew. Listen I have to go pack. Serena's family will be at the temple to pick me up soon. We should keep you coming up a surprise, Serena will be totally surprised to see you arrive!" Raye grinned conspiratorially.

"Yeah... I'll bet. I've invited Darien," Andrew smiled sheepishly.

Raye just smirked all the more, "Excellent. We'll have some entertainment then."

**CHAPTER 4: SURPRISED BY SERENA**

Darien walked into the administration office, prepared to commit one of the greatest acts of grovelling in the history of begging. He took a deep breath and knocked on office door of Patrizia Lun that hung slightly open.

"Darien, please come in and take a seat," she said, placing the paper she was grading onto the desk.

Darien took a seat and waited politely for her to facilitate the conversation.

"So Darien, how can I help you?"

Darien shifted nervously in his seat, "Ms Lun, I have come to request an extension to my term paper that I was... unable to submit on time," he said, somewhat unnerved that he was having to actually do this. He had never ever not submitted an assignment on time.

She frowned and Darien bit his tongue to keep the distressed groan that had risen in him from exiting his lips.

"Darien, you have no assignments that are late as far as I can tell. I just finished marking them," she said slowly, studying the young man in front of her from behind her fashionable reading glasses.

Darien just looked blankly back at her, unsure what she was talking about.

"Yes, there is one. My term paper for physics," he said equally slowly, "A... uh... friend of mine misplaced it and I was unable to submit it on time."

"This friend... was she blonde?" Patrizia said, suddenly making the connection.

"Uh yes. Serena," Darien managed to choke out. He was still upset at her for losing his assignment.

"Yes, Serena. She's a lovely girl. I found her wandering the campus very frustrated. She looked a bit too young to be a student here so I asked her if I could help her. She was such a dear, saying that she had found her friend's assignment (I assume you are that friend) and wanted to hand it in for him before the deadline. By then the deadline had passed, probably because she had gotten lost on the campus. But I let it slip in just for her," Patrizia smiled, "I wish there were more young ladies like her who cared for their friends that way."

Darien felt the blood drain from his face. Serena had handed in his assignment for him, she hadn't lost it, and he had been so mean to her...

"Oh, and here are your assignments back. You may as well have them now. May I say well done Darien, you continue to be a top student here," Patrizia smiled as she handed him the papers.

Darien just stared at the papers now in his hands and stammered a thankyou before rising from his chair and leaving the office.

_Hahahahaha you are such a jerk_, the little voice in the back of his mind laughed mercilessly at him.

_._

Darien trudged back to the Arcade feeling lower than pond scum. Serena had gone out of her way to help him and he had assumed she had klutzed up again.

_You are so low Darien_, he mentally kicked himself.

He opened the door to the Arcade slightly to see if she were there. He just couldn't face her right now, knowing that he had been such a jerk. Seeing that the Arcade was virtually empty, he shuffled inside and sat himself beside Ami and Lita. They were chatting to Andrew about some holiday trip.

"I am so exited! We will get to see the snow and everything!" Lita pumped her fist in the air to emphasise said excitement.

"Yeah I know. Serena is going to be so surprised when I turn up," Andrew laughed.

"Turn up where Andrew?" Darien asked, confused at their conversation.

"The girls' parents organised for them to spend the holidays up at that new hotel I told you about. Serena, Raye and Mina are already on their way there. Lita and Ami will be going in a day or two," Andrew explained.

"Oh," Darien said gloomily.

"What's wrong Darien?" Andrew asked, seeing that his friend was slightly upset by something.

"You know that term paper I told Serena off for?" Darien began.

"Oh, so you finally found out about that?" Lita interrupted.

Darien swung around to look at her, "You knew?"

"Of course," Ami piped up, "Serena tells us everything. She knew you would find out she hadn't lost it when you got your marks."

"Great, so everyone knows what a jerk I was to her," he mumbled to himself.

"Yep!" Lita said cheerily, "But don't worry about it. She'll forgive you."

"How?" Darien asked, "I was really mean."

"Because that's who Serena is Darien. She's the best friend anyone can have," Ami answered.

Darien looked at the two girls beside him blankly, a thought forming in his mind, "So, why do you say that?"

Ami smiled, "She was the only person who befriended me at school. I used to study all the time and she just ingratiated herself into my life somehow and saved me from myself. Without her, I wouldn't have the friends I do today," she said, smiling pointedly at Lita.

"Yeah," Lita jumped in, "I had, haha, gotten into some trouble before transferring to Serena's school. When I got there everyone knew about it and no one would come near me. That was until I brought some homemade rice balls to school. That girl can smell good cooking a mile away! She just sat down next to me and started chatting away like she had known me forever," Lita smiled wistfully.

Darien blinked. This was a different side of meatball head to the ignorant klutz he'd had the privilege of being bowled into every other morning. He looked at Andrew, "And you?"

"Geez Darien I don't even remember. She just popped up in my life one day and suddenly I had another little sister," Andrew grinned at the happy memories he had of the sunny girl.

Darien sat there baffled. He hadn't even seen, for all his supposed intelligence, the strong bonds of friendship Serena had with those around her. He suddenly wanted that, and to share in the warmth that the three people before him obviously enjoyed every day because they knew Serena.

"So Andrew," he said nonchalantly, "When do we leave?"

**CHPATER 5: WINTER WONDERLAND**

It had been three days since Serena, Mina and Raye had arrived at the White Haven Hotel. They had explored the entire grounds together, checked out the cute guys and picked one for themselves and Ami and Lita when they arrived, as well as signed up to do some activities to keep them occupied. Serena had secretly signed up to do some tutoring this holiday as well, hoping that she could improve her grades next semester and make her parents proud.

"Hey Serena, what next?" Raye said, bounding up to her friend.

"Um, I was just going to go for a walk in the gardens. I know they are frozen over but I just like to walk through the hedge maze anyway," Serena replied.

Raye grimaced, "Well I'm going to the hot tub with Mina where we shall be served many fruits by cute busboys!" she said with a wicked smile before turning and running off to find Mina, but not before calling out over her shoulder, "Remember – the girls will get here today!"

Serena smiled a small smile. What she hadn't told Raye was that she had discovered an incredible lake just past the maze with a smooth flat surface that she could ice skate on. She had found it yesterday morning and had checked the ice to make sure it was thick enough to support her weight, happy to find that it was. She grabbed the bag beside her and made her way out of the hotel, down the slope and into the gardens. There she found a small path that led behind the maze and to her own private ice skating lake.

Arriving at the lake, she sat down on a large rock and put on her worn-in skates. She had been skating since she was young and it came naturally to her to do small leaps and twists. She loved the feeling of being graceful on the ice, even if she wasn't on dry ground! Tying the final lace, she stepped onto the frozen lake and let herself glide smoothly across the ice.

.

"Here we are!" Andrew said cheerily, pulling his car up into a parking space at the White Haven Hotel.

Ami and Lita gasped as they saw the beautiful wooden old-style design of the hotel. It was a large building with verandahs and windows all around. Taking their bags, they made their way up the steps into the foyer and were greeted with antique furnishings and warm lighting. Their eyes took in the high ceiling decorated with painted cherubs and gaped at the huge ballroom to their right.

"Ahem," a soft voice interrupted, "Lita and Ami I presume?" the young man enquired.

"Yes," Ami said shyly.

He smiled, "My name is Greg and I shall escort you to your room." He turned away and motioned for them to follow.

Ami started forward, quickly swinging back to Lita with a happy grin on her face before replacing it with a soft curl of her lips as she turned back to follow Greg. Lita only laughed at her obviously infatuated friend. Darien and Andrew had meanwhile followed the girls inside, rolling their eyes at the girls when Greg had introduced himself.

"Come on Darien, I already know where our room is and will have our stuff sent up. Let's check this place out," Andrew said, grabbing his friend's arm.

Andrew dragged Darien around the hotel, his eyes popping out of his head at every pretty girl while Darien just rolled his eyes, completely uninterested. They had been to every room in the hotel, including the ball room, games room, bar and meeting area and now Andrew had decided they should check out the heated pool. They stepped outside to be greeted by the sight of Mina and Raye giggling in the hot tub. Andrew's eyes practically exploded out of his head when he saw Mina in her bikini.

"Hey Andrew, Darien," she called to them lazily before popping another strawberry into her mouth.

"Andrew, pick your jaw up," Darien whispered, nudging his friend in the ribs as he went over to greet the girls.

"Hey girls, having fun I see," he drawled amicably.

"Lots," Raye said to Darien, though she smiled at a boy nearby who was obviously staring at the dark haired beauty.

"Where's Serena guys?" Andrew finally said, having managed to successfully pick his jaw up from the floor and behave normally, though his heart was thumping in his chest.

"Oh she's around somewhere while we preferred a much warmer and more leisurely activity," Mina purred as she stretched, enjoying Andrew's obvious discomfort around her.

Once again, Darien rolled his eyes, "Come on Andrew, let's look around the grounds a bit," he said.

"Uh, on second thought Darien I think I might enjoy a bit of a dip. You go," Andrew said, shooing him away.

Darien just shook his head and left to wander the gardens. He wandered down an incline and into a private Japanese-style garden. The ground was decorated with white paved tiles with small black stones in between. A small frozen river made its way under a bridge that led to a red gazebo in the middle of the garden. It was a little paradise surrounded on all sides with high hedges. Darien wandered through it before finding an entrance to a maze. He picked his way carefully through it, easily able to find the exit. He grinned at his own success before turning to view the landscape before him.

.

Serena had finished skating and had managed to put her shoes back on without getting her socks wet on the snow. She had enjoyed ice skating again and vowed she would come back again when she got some time alone. A rustling from the maze behind her caused her to jump slightly and hide behind a tree to keep from being found. She didn't want the others to know she had been here because then they would just know where to look for her when she disappeared.

.

Darien was surprised to see a beautiful wide lake stretching out in front of him. Its surface was smooth and he wondered if it would be good to skate on. He strode forward through the snow and placed a foot on the ice to test its density.

.

Serena gaped at the young man who stood with his back to her with one foot on the ice. How could Darien be here? She decided she didn't want to stick around to find out and as silently as she could, made her way back to her secret path and back to the hotel.

.

Darien felt eyes watching him and he whirled around to see who was behind him. He frowned when he saw no one there, his senses were rarely wrong. With one final tap on the ice he was satisfied that it was thick enough to support his weight should he decide to do some skating. He started to walk back to the maze, but not before he saw a pair of footprints in the snow leading away from the lake.

_So someone was there..._

**CHAPTER 6: GOT TALENT?**

Serena dressed for dinner in a knee-length white skirt with a pale blue top. She quickly redid her hair in its usual style and skipped out of the bathroom.

"Mina! Bathroom is all yours," Serena called out, flopping onto a couch. She surveyed the plush room before her. Warm pink carpets complemented the white walls nicely. Old-time furniture adorned the room while the lounge opened out onto a balcony. It was a two bedroom room in the hotel, and she was sharing it with her four friends.

"Thanks Sere," Mina said, casually strolling into the bathroom. She looked killer in her simple black dress.

A knock at the door came, signalling that dinner was ready. Quickly shooting one last glance at her reflection, Serena gathered her wits and made her way to the dining hall. She walked down the hallway and found herself at the top of the stairs in the main foyer. She started down the stairs only to see a familiar blonde standing at the bottom.

"Andrew!" she squealed, rushing to give him a bear hug.

"Serena, surprised to see me?" Andrew said jovially.

"Totally, what are you doing here?"

"My uncle invited me."

"That's great. You, me and the girls get to hang out for a few weeks then. It's like we never left home," she smiled.

"It certainly seems so doesn't it meatball head?" Darien teased behind her.

"Oh Andrew, did you have to?" Serena pouted, seeing Darien.

Andrew only laughed in response while Darien quirked an eyebrow. It irritated Serena that no matter what the dark haired man did he was gorgeous.

_Snap out of it meatball head, its DARIEN_, Serena thought ferociously. _But still he looks good_, she thought as her head turned slightly to the side to appreciate Darien's figure.

_What is she doing?_ Darien thought, seeing her head tilt. She smiled at him.

"So Darien, that ugly green jacket finally buried and gone?" she smirked.

"Maybe you'll consider losing the hairstyle then meatball head," Darien shot back, somehow enjoying the verbal repartee.

"Hey guys, started fighting already?" Raye smiled as she, Lita, Mina, and Ami stepped up to them.

"You knew?" Serena hissed at Raye.

Raye only smiled.

"Come on, dinner is ready," Ami said, leading the way into the dining room.

The group sat together at a table while dinner was served. Remarkably Darien and Serena managed not to talk to eachother much at all which made the dinner pass by relatively civilly. Their banter was interrupted by a soft drum roll as the lights lit up a small stage to the front of the room.

"Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the White Haven Hotel. We hope you have a pleasant stay. My name is Gerald Jung and I am pleased to be your host for your stay. We at the White Haven Hotel want your stay to be memorable. We want to see you meet new people and make this place a welcoming and friendly hotel. To this end, we have decided to begin a tradition here that we hope will last a lifetime. We will be having a talent contest. It is to be held in two weeks, though we will not tell what the prize is just yet," he paused, smiling at his audience before continuing, "We hope that many of you will join in. Now, please enjoy your dinner."

Gentle applause erupted in the room and faded away as Mr Jung stepped away from the microphone and off the stage.

"Did you hear that? A talent contest. This could be fun!" Lita said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I could do a small fire show like in the temple," Raye added.

"What Raye, you'll burn the place down you pyro!" Serena exclaimed jokingly.

Raye narrowed her eyes at her friend, "Oh? And what about you?"

"Uh, I don't think I'll enter it..." Serena stuttered.

"Good thing meatball head. No need to embarrass yourself," Darien jibed.

Serena shot him a glare.

"I think you should sing something Serena," Mina suggested evilly.

"Shut. Up. I will do no such thing," Serena bit out at her, glaring at Mina.

"Can't sing huh meatball head?" Darien mocked her, enjoying riling her up.

"Yeah Serena, can't sing?" Raye repeated with equal mockery.

_That's it_, Serena thought, "Fine, I'll sing. But you all have to do something as well. I'm not going to be the only one to humiliate myself up there!" she growled.

"Fine. Done," Lita smiled as they all shook hands.

**CHAPTER 7: A WEEK FLYS BY**

Serena woke early to the sound of Mina snoring softly on the bed beside her. Quietly getting dressed she grabbed her ice skates and made her way to her lake. The morning air was very chilly, but perfect for ice skating. Arriving at the lake she slipped on her skate and stepped onto the ice, gliding over it expertly. She sighed, wishing that she were as good at school as ice skating. She only had an hour before her study session with her assigned tutor, though she didn't look forward to it she knew it would be good for her.

She turned to glide backwards, one arm strung out behind her and one in front to balance her. She turned a graceful circle before continuing on skating forward. She closed her eyes, enjoying the cool air against her cheeks.

"Serena?!"

A voice broke her quiet solitude and she opened her eyes to see Darien about 2 metres away on the edge of the lake. She was so surprised to see him that she forgot to stop and about two seconds later she barrelled into him and they both tumbled to the snow.

"Damn it Darien you shouldn't scare people like that!" she hissed at him, getting up off him having fallen straight on top of the gorgeous young man.

"Whatever meatball head, here we are a thousand miles from home and you still managed to crash into me," he shot back, glaring at her with those perfect ocean blue eyes.

_Serena stop gawking at him. He's just a guy, a gorgeous spunk but he is just a guy_, she told herself. She glared at him before storming off.

"Where are you going?" Darien shouted after her.

"I have an appointment," she tossed back at him over her shoulder, huffing her way back to the hotel, _Stupid Darien ruining my ice skating time._

.

"Hi, you must be Serena, I'm Seiya," the dark haired young man introduced himself as Serena entered the meeting room.

"Hi yes, I'm Serena," she replied brightly, not noticing his approving gaze at the attractive young woman in front of him.

"So, what do you need help in?" Seiya asked lightly

"Oh, well, everything," she laughed.

"Ok, well let's start with maths and then see where we can go from there, would you take a seat?" Seiya said, gesturing to the seat beside him.

"Sure, but Seiya, can you do me a favour?" she pleaded, her blue eyes large.

Seiya thought at that moment he would gladly leap from a cliff if she only asked.

"Can you not tell anyone you're helping me study? I'm kinda embarrassed about it," she said shyly.

"Sure, no problem," he smiled, "So let's begin then shall we?"

.

"Who's that guy Serena is with?" Mina whispered to Raye, spying on Serena and the mystery man from behind a fern.

"I don't know Mina, but they look cosy," Raye replied.

"Who looks cosy?" Ami asked, coming around the corner.

"SHH!" Mina admonished her, pointing toward Serena.

"Wow," Lita said, joining the three other girls, "They do look cosy."

The four girls gaped as the mystery man oh-so-casually put his arm behind Serena and onto the chair behind her.

"What are you four doing?" Andrew interrupted them.

"SHH!" four voices hissed at him.

"Huh?" he said, looking at where they were pointing, finally seeing Serena with a dark haired young man. His eyes widened, not sure what to think. Serena had never really taken an interest in any boys from the Arcade, and he wondered why she was suddenly sitting with this guy.

"What's going on? Who are you spying on?" Darien said, coming up to the five people who were all hiding behind a fern.

"SHH!" all five hissed at him, pointing.

He followed their gazes to see a young blonde girl sitting with a dark haired young man. They appeared to be engaged in talking about something terribly interesting. The young man had his arm resting on the seat beside her and she seemed oblivious to this obviously possessive move. Darien finally focussed on the blonde girl, and realised it was Serena.

"What!" he exclaimed.

"SHHH!"

"Sorry," he whispered back. Darien's heart twisted in a funny way as he watched the two in the corner. He didn't like the feeling, but couldn't name exactly what it was he was feeling except that he didn't like Serena sitting with that guy!

"Come on guys, let's leave them alone," Mina finally said, dragging her friends away.

Darien gave the young man a final hard stare before allowing himself to be pulled away.

.

"So you see, the hypotenuse is simply this line here and equal to 'c'," Seiya explained to Serena.

She smiled, she finally got it, "Thanks Seiya, I get it now."

"You're welcome. I think we can call it quits today. I don't want your brain fried."

"Sounds good to me!" Serena said with a soft laugh. Her brain was a bit worn out!

"So are you going to enter the talent contest?" Seiya said conversationally, not wanting to leave just yet.

"Yeah, my friends and I all agreed to enter. I'll be singing... something," she replied.

"Sounds good. I'm going to enter it with my two brothers. We are in a band," Seiya said a little shyly, "We hope to make it big one day."

"That's a great dream Seiya, I'm sure you can do it," Serena replied encouragingly, "I have to go now, I've got some things planned with my friends. But I will see you same time tomorrow?"

"Of course, can't wait," Seiya replied with a mysterious smile.

.

The week passed by too quickly for the four girls and two young men. Every morning Serena would wake up early to ice skate at her secret spot and then meet Seiya for tutoring. Mina and Raye would flirt with all the young men in the games room, challenging them to games of pool and winning easily. Lita would exercise for a couple hours while Ami read. They would meet for lunch and then together go skiing or swimming. Darien didn't bother Serena much and she either chose to ignore him or completely didn't notice him at all. After an afternoon's activities they would return to their rooms to practice for the talent contest, each determined to do their best and hopefully win. They would then come together for dinner and then retire to bed. All in all it was a relatively peaceful week on the surface.

However below the however the tension bubbled. Seiya was seriously attracted to Serena, though she had no idea and did not return his feelings. Darien had started to tear his hair out seeing Serena with this strange guy every morning while Andrew was tying himself in knots over Mina. Ami was also head over heels for Greg and secretly met him when he had finished his shift for coffee. Raye had been secretly crushing on Chad, a rock star staying at the hotel while Lita felt lonely having not found a guy worthy of her attentions. Meanwhile, Serena had become more and more unnerved by Darien who had twice interrupted her ice skating.

With all this underlying angst, next week was sure to get a lot more interesting.

**CHAPTER 8: JEALOUS MUCH?**

Darien woke early, hoping to get some ice skating in today before the day's activities began. He was however unhappily met with Serena who was skating over his lake. He gritted his teeth, annoyed at her for some reason.

"Hey meatball head why don't you find somewhere else to skate?" he sneered at her.

"Why don't you? I was here first," she shot back.

"Because I happen to be able to ice skate, you being only an amateur, don't deserve the privilege of being on the ice," he smirked at her.

"Oh really? Well Darien, let's have a contest. Anything you can do, I'll do better," she smirked back at her.

_Something isn't right, she's too confident_, the voice warned him. Darien ignored the warning. He was determined to beat her.

"Alright! Do this then," he challenged. Gathering some speed he skated around the lake before stopping suddenly, sending a shower of ice over Serena. He gloated, expecting her to squeal at him but she didn't. She only did exactly as he did, _Only better_, the little voice said.

_Shut up_, Darien scowled.

"Ok, smarty pants I see, well what about this?" Gathering some speed again he skated around the lake to stop in a quick spin on the spot. Grinning at Serena, he bowed with an arm out, "Your turn?"

She smiled at him and skated around the rink to slow into a quick spin... but then she lifted her leg up behind her, grasping it with her hands she spun around gracefully, slowing to a complete stopped. She looked at him victoriously.

Darien gulped, but was not one to be beat, "Ok fine. I've been nice but you can only win if you beat this," he said. Skating furiously to the end of the lake he skated back toward her and leapt into the air to do a neat spin, landing gracefully on the ice. He stopped right in front of her, chest to chest, looking down at her and daring her to beat him.

"You are so done Darien," she murmured with glee, poking him in the chest.

He watched, gobsmacked, as the klutzy girl skated gracefully to the end of the lake. She stopped fully before gathering speed again to leap in the air and do a double pirouette, landing daintily on the ice. She stopped in front of him with the biggest smirk on her face.

"I win," she smiled, "But I have to meet Seiya now so you can keep the ice. Use the time to uh... practice," she said, delighted to finally have something over Darien.

Darien could only stare as she skated away.

"Hey Darien, so this is where you have been sneaking away to!" Andrew's voice interrupted him.

"Uh yeah. Did you SEE that?" Darien gasped.

"Yeah I did, she kicked your ass man," Andrew chuckled.

"You don't sound surprised Andrew," Darien said, turning to his friend.

Andrew had the biggest grin on his face, "She told me once that she has skated since she was young. She used to be in competitions, only minor stuff really though. I don't know why she stopped. She loves to skate," Andrew happily narrated to his friend.

"Yeah," Darien said, running his hand through his hair, "She's off to see that Seiya guy," he said bitterly.

"Jealous much!" Andrew remarked.

"I am NOT," Darien practically shouted.

Andrew only grinned in response.

Darien sighed. He didn't know what he was feeling. He was pretty sure it WASN'T love though, and was frustrated because of it. Sure Serena was a nice enough girl, mostly annoying, and obviously had some hidden talent so she wasn't completely without merit. It annoyed him that she was hanging out with Seiya as it just added boy-crazy to the list of things about her he didn't like about her. But at the same time she had friends who thought the world of her and loved her like a sister. Even Andrew loved Serena as a sister. So how come he wasn't affected?

.

Andrew studied his quiet friend. He had noticed Darien's upset over Serena spending time with Seiya this past week and was convinced that Darien had feelings for Serena. But what they were or how strong they might be he didn't know. Darien was a strange one, and had built high walls around his heart. He still yet hoped that those walls would come down one day. Maybe Serena was just the girl to do it. She was a strange girl too he thought with a smile. She knew just the way to wriggle into someone's life and heart. She would be the perfect one to sneak around those walls Darien had built up.

.

That night...

"Darien."

"Serenity, interrupting my dreams again I see," Darien smiled at the beautiful young woman in front of him.

"Yes. Fallen in love yet?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

"No," Darien replied back levelly. He would fall in love on his own time. Having someone pressure you did not help.

"Why ever not? I can't see what your problem is," Serenity chided him with a sardonic look.

"She is my problem. Yeah she's nice enough but so what?" Darien threw back at her.

"Mm Darien, still thinking with your head and not that cold heart of yours," Serenity threw back. She didn't want to be cruel, but he did need a push. He was very stubborn!

"You should talk, you led me on for months with promises of nothing," Darien shot back, hurt.

Serenity glared at him as she never had before, "How dare you," she whispered quietly, her anger radiating from her like a heat wave, "I have done no such thing."

"Liar! _Bring me the crystal Darien_," he mocked.

Serenity started to glow red in his dream, "You don't deserve her love you coward! I'm sorry to say that I have made a mistake and that it would be a crime for me to even encourage you to go anywhere near that innocent girl!"

"That's fine because she's not worth loving!" he shot back, angry and frustrated.

"Then why so jealous?" she mocked, pushing his buttons purposefully. If he couldn't crack open the walls of his heart she would make him explode!

"I AM NOT JEALOUS!" he screamed at her.

"Oh?" Serenity said with a calm, yet menacing gaze.

Images of Serena with Seiya suddenly infiltrated his dream. Seiya with his arm around her on the chair; the two laughing together; Serena smiling up at Seiya; Seiya staring at Serena adoringly, the images cut into him with a pain he hadn't known he could feel.

"STOP IT!" he shouted.

"Why? You don't care? Look at them. It's only a matter of time before he steals her heart, and perhaps even me with her..." she said coldly, giving Darien one final glance. He was being incredibly stubborn and it pained her to hurt him, but she had to get him to see!

"Well, seeing as you aren't interested I guess this is goodbye. Goodbye Darien," she said softly.

And she was gone.

**CHAPTER 10: MISERY LOVES COMPANY**

Darien awoke to find himself in an evil mood, so he headed to the lake for some early morning ice skating. He found himself frustrated to find that Serena wasn't there this morning as she had been before.

_Lucky for her_, he thought darkly.

He skated for half an hour but found no joy in it and so decided to get some breakfast. He put his skates away before wandering into the dining hall. He sat silently by himself, not really enjoying the tasty meal before him. To his great annoyance his silence was broken by a soft giggle across the room. He glared at the source of his annoyance, and saw that it was Serena.

_Naturally, _he thought sarcastically.

She was alone with Andrew having breakfast. If that didn't annoy him, the sudden fact that she pushed her hand into his blonde hair above his forehead really set him off. He practically steamed with anger.

_Stupid girl ruining my nice quiet breakfast_, he fumed.

He suddenly decided he had had enough of the spectacle and walked over there to tell them to shut up.

.

Andrew saw his friend coming and was shocked to see the deep anger on his face.

"Darien-" Andrew began, but was cut off by the very person he had been speaking to.

"You know what meatball head, why can't you just grow up and act like a young lady huh? You've been running around like an idiot the last few days fawning over Seiya who clearly doesn't see you as anything other than a silly little brat. Why you bother I don't even know," Darien sneered cruelly at her.

Andrew gaped at the nastiness of his friend. He turned his eyes to Serena to see her staring up at Darien, frozen from the shock of the onslaught. But with a small cry she leapt from her chair and ran from the room. Darien just watched her go with a satisfied look on his face.

"DARIEN WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Andrew shouted at his friend, grabbing him by the collar.

"I'm sick of her Andrew. She's annoying and needs to grow up," Darien snorted.

"You are a real jerk Darien. The only one who needs to grow up here is you," Andrew scowled at him, "Now go apologise before I break your nose."

"Oh FINE!" Darien replied with exasperation.

.

Darien strolled out of the room to find Serena and apologise for his outburst. He started to feel bad for what he said, she really hadn't don't anything and he had been a tad nasty. The feelings of remorse that he had however disappeared the moment he turned onto the veranda to see Serena being held tightly by Seiya. Her head was buried in his chest and he stroked her hair, whispering in her ear. She nodded, and from behind her Darien could see her look up at Seiya who in turn kissed her on the forehead. Darien saw red and decidedly spun on his heel and marched right back up to his room.

.

"Oh Seiya he was so mean!" Serena sobbed into Seiya's chest.

"Hey it's going to be ok," Seiya whispered into her ear, clutching her tightly to him.

"I... hic... he was being nice this week... hic... and... I don't know," she cried.

"Shh, it's going to be ok Serena, I'm here," he said, stroking her hair.

She nodded against his chest and lifted her tear stained face to him. He smiled at her and kissed her forehead. Looking up, he saw the retreating back of Darien as he stormed away. Seiya sighed. It was obvious the guy cared for her, but he was acting irrationally. He wondered if Serena felt something for him too. He hoped not, but he wasn't blind to the fact that she wasn't really returning his interest in her. He sighed again, maybe he would speak to the guy tomorrow and talk some sense into him.

.

The rest of the day passed quietly. The girls found out about Darien's nastiness and were horrified. Andrew was angry with him too and almost refused to speak to him. Darien remained upset and angry, and took it out on a punching bag in the hotel gym. Serena for the most part stayed in her room.

"Hey Serena, do you want to have dinner in here tonight?" Mina asked kindly.

"Yeah, that would be nice," Serena sniffled.

Darien refused to come out of his room and Andrew was too overwhelmed by the day's events to have an appetite, and so the day ended with everyone staying in their rooms for the rest of the day.

**CHAPTER 11: THINGS GET UGLY**

The next morning Serena crept down to the meeting room for her tutoring session with Seiya. She was glad to find that he was the only one there. After yesterday she didn't feel up to seeing a lot of people at the moment.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" he said, as she sat beside him. He put an arm around her and squeezed, "You ok after yesterday?"

"Yeah, I feel a bit better," she sighed, resting her head momentarily on his shoulder before straightening up, "Thanks for being there," she smiled.

"No problem," Seiya smiled back.

.

Darien stood in the doorway of the meeting room. He had hoped to grab a coffee early and avoid everyone, but it seemed his luck was not working at the moment. He narrowed his eyes at the sight of Seiya hugging Serena and the way she rested her head on his shoulder. He strode over purposefully to stand in front of them at the table.

.

Seiya looked up to see Darien standing over he and Serena, and the man looked murderous.

_He does have feelings for her_, he mused.

Seiya instinctively pulled Serena closer to him, worried at Darien's mood. A jealous man is a man capable of doing things he wouldn't normally do. He looked at Serena. She stared up at Darien, almost terrified of the angry man staring at her accusingly. Seiya sighed, he had to do something to break the tension.

"Darien, can we talk?" he asked.

Darien curtly nodded.

"Serena, wait here ok? I'm going to go calm him down," Seiya said comfortingly.

"Ok," she whispered back with wide eyes.

_I could fall in love with those eyes_, Seiya thought sadly, knowing the feeling probably wouldn't be returned.

He stepped outside to see Darien facing him, arms folded over his chest.

"Well?" Darien said menacingly.

"Darien, I know you have feelings for her," Seiya began.

"I do NOT," Darien replied emphatically, "You on the other hand need to keep your hands to yourself. She's a child," he said bitingly.

"She's 15 Darien, and growing into a lovely young woman. You'd have to be blind not to see it," Seiya replied levelly.

"Exactly. She's 15 and doesn't need a guy like you taking advantage of her," Darien accused.

"What do you mean by that?" Seiya replied dangerously, stepping toward Darien.

"You know exactly what I mean by that," Darien said, stepping toward Seiya.

The two faced off.

"Leave her alone," Darien snarled.

"You don't deserve her after yesterday!" Seiya barked back.

That one sentence broke Darien's usually strong resolve and he swung a punch at Seiya, catching him on the chin. Seiya grunted at the blow but swung himself around and tackled Darien to the ground. The two rolled around grappling but were unable to get another hit in as two large men dragged them away from eachother.

"You two, stay away from eachother from now on. If I catch you fighting again I will kick you both out!" the manager threatened, looking at both men fiercely to make his point.

"Yes sir," they grumbled in unison.

.

"Darien, what were you thinking?" Andrew sighed at his friend laying morosely on his bed as he stared at the ceiling.

Darien groaned, "I don't know Andrew, something is wrong with me."

"I bet I can guess," Andrew muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing Darien," Andrew replied. "Are you coming down stairs?"

"No, I'm going to stay here. I need to rest a bit I think. Calm down," Darien replied emotionless.

"Ok Dare. I'll be downstairs if you need me," Andrew said reassuringly to his friend.

.

"Serena honey are you ok?" Mina asked, hugging her friend on her bed.

"No, it was horrible Mina, I don't understand what's going on!" Serena cried.

"Shh, it's going to be ok," Mina said, stroking her friends hair.

"I'm going to stay here today Mina and rest," Serena mumbled through her tears.

"Ok sweetie, you do that, I'll be downstairs if you need me."

Mina left the room quietly and made her way downstairs. She bumped into Andrew on the way and they looked at eachother knowingly.

"Darien is crazy about her isn't he?" Mina asked Andrew.

"Yeah, I think he is, but he doesn't know it. He's never been in love before and he's never had to deal with such strong emotions," Andrew replied.

"Should we do something?"

"No I don't think so. It might make it worse and I think we should just give it some time to blow over before we even think about doing anything," Andrew replied wisely.

**CHAPTER 12: FORGIVEN**

Darien spent the next few days avoiding everyone, except Andrew who he couldn't avoid because they shared a room. Thankfully Andrew seemed to realise he needed to be alone and didn't press him to talk. He wandered the grounds late at night in deep contemplation. He couldn't understand what had possessed him to act so out of character. Serenity hadn't visited his dreams since that night, and her words echoed accusingly in his conscience.

A few times while out walking he had seen the others in the distance and had done the only rational thing he could do; hidden behind the nearest available object. He couldn't face them right now, especially Serena. He had seen her a few times walking in the snow with Seiya and it tore at him seeing her with the young man. Hell, it hurt whenever he saw her smiling face with her friends and he hated the feeling.

To pass the time he had practised his act for the talent show. He was going to do a few disappearing/reappearing rose tricks –an easy thing for Tuxedo Mask. He only needed to practise making sure it actually looked like a magic trick. Not that he was looking forward to it, but he had made a deal and wanted to honour it.

He sighed and ran a tired hand through his hair. The talent show was tomorrow afternoon. There was no getting out of it, and he would be forced to see everyone; to see her. The thought depressed him immensely and he suddenly felt suffocated in his room. Glancing at the time he saw that it was 1am in the morning. Everyone should be in bed by now so he could go down and make himself a coffee without being bothered. Tip-toeing down the hall he made his way to the meeting room downstairs. He opened the door and was dismayed to find a single lamp on.

_Maybe someone is here_; he thought cautiously looking around the room.

Seeing no one, he stepped into the room and made his way to the coffee machine. Half way through making his coffee he realised that there was no sugar.

"There's no sugar," a soft voice said behind him.

He groaned inwardly, cursing the fates for his awful luck before turning slowly to see Serena standing there, sugar in hand.

"I went and got some, here you go," she said, handing him the sugar.

He didn't reply, couldn't reply. His tongue suddenly felt like cement and he didn't think he could say a word without sounding like a drunken fool. Instead he did the next worst thing, stared at her.

She had her light blue pyjamas on with pink bunnies on them. Her long hair flowed down to her knees, undone from the usual meatball style. She shifted nervously on her feet, throwing a covert glance at the door – her only escape.

"Uh, goodnight Darien," she finally murmured before turning to leave.

"Wait," Darien whispered harshly, grasping her small hand in his.

She froze on the spot, but slowly turned back to face him and Darien thought he would drown in the depths of her pale blue eyes when they met his.

"Serena... I... I'm sorry," he finally said, dropping his head and her hand at the same time. Tears sprang to his eyes and he struggled to contain his high emotions, "I was awful to you and you didn't deserve it," he rasped, still looking at the floor. He found he couldn't stand anymore and sat himself on a couch beside him, burying his face in his hands as his tears flowed down his face. He couldn't remember ever feeling so awful since his parents died.

He was surprised when he felt her weight on the couch beside him as she put her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Darien, it's ok. I forgive you," she whispered softly.

Darien couldn't stop himself from turning to her and fiercely hugging her small form as he cried out his shame and self-loathing. Serena just shushed him softly and ran a gentle hand through his hair, telling him that it was ok.

"No its not Serena... I don't deserve your forgiveness..." he whispered hoarsely into her hair.

"Everyone deserves a second chance Darien," she whispered back, still stroking his hair. She leant back and rested her forehead on his, taking his large hands in her small ones, "Besides, it's not whether you deserve forgiveness but if you receive it when it's given. How often do we deserve to be forgiven when we really stuff up? It's like a gift, it only works if you accept it," she said with a wisdom beyond her years.

"Then I don't accept it because I don't deserve it," Darien

"Darien, would you say you owe me for being the nasty jerk you were yesterday?" she said softly with a small smile.

He groaned, "I suppose."

"Then I demand you accept my forgiveness," she said simply, smiling at him. She wiped away his tears with her hand, "Go to bed and get some sleep. The talent contest is tomorrow and I don't want to beat a man who is already down," she said with mock seriousness.

Darien could only choke out a laugh, "You're something Serena," he said.

"That's meatball head to you," she grinned, tapping his nose, "Good night."

"Good night, meatball head."

**CHAPTER 13: WAITING FOR TONIGHT**

Darien woke up feeling better than he had all week.

"Well look who's up and chirpy," Andrew commented.

"Yeah," Darien could only smile.

"Well, come on. Out with it," Andrew said exasperated.

"Oh, I bumped into Serena last night. We talked. She forgave me for being a complete ass," Darien said with a slight blush, suddenly finding the carpet incredibly interesting.

"Ah," Andrew said simply, returning to brushing his teeth.

"You don't sound surprised?"

"Nah, Serena is a very forgiving person. She's something else," Andrew mumbled between brushings.

"Yeah..." Darien could only softly agree.

.

"Are you so excited or what?" Serena said excitedly, jumping up and down on her bed.

"Geez Serena, yesterday you looked like your cat had died and now you are bouncing off the walls, what gives?" Raye asked, rolling her eyes at her friend.

"Oh, Darien and I bumped into each other last night. We talked it out. I guess I just feel better not having that whole... 'thing' hanging over me, you know?" Serena chirruped.

"Last night?" Mina enquired, raising a delicate eyebrow.

Serena just tossed a pillow at her, "It is SO not like that!"

"No, she's only after Seiya!" Lita jumped in and was rewarded with Serena flinging another pillow her way.

"Geez you guys are so boy crazy!" Serena said, poking her tongue out.

.

The day went by in a flash of excitement and activity as everyone helped out to decorate the ballroom in preparation for the talent contest.

"This is so much fun!" Ami grinned with a mirth that was unusual for her reserved personality.

"I'll be you are having a lot of fun," Mina purred at her friend, nodding suggestively toward Greg who at that moment had seen the girls and turned a soft pink.

Serena, Lita, Raye and Mina fell to the ground in stitches of laughter as Ami turned bright red before glaring at them.

"Hey girls," Andrew greeted them as they picked themselves up from the floor.

"Hey Andrew, Darien," Serena smiled before going back to putting up streamers.

"Hey guys, Seiya could use some help with the heavier stuff," Lita said, pointing to the stage.

Andrew looked at Darien who just sighed and nodded at him saying, "Yeah, I should go apologise."

Seiya stiffened as he saw Darien approach, but was relieved when Darien stuck out his hand in a gesture of peace.

"No hard feelings?" Darien enquired politely.

"None, I understand," Seiya said knowingly.

Darien just quizzically lifted his eyebrow before shrugging. There wasn't much to understand, he'd just had a really bad week. He thanked Seiya for his kind reception before leaving to help some of the other guys with the heavy lifting.

"He's so sold out to her," Seiya remarked to Andrew.

"Yeah, but he obviously can't see love when its running around right in front of him," Andrew sighed.

"Why not?"

"Darien's complicated... he's an idiot," Andrew smiled, shrugging his shoulders, "He'll figure it out one day, hopefully by then it won't be too late and some other guy has captured Serena's heart."

"Ok everyone!" the hotel manager said into a microphone handed to him, "We are just about done here so all guests may retire to their rooms. The contest starts in an hour so you had best be ready!"

.

"Serena what are you wearing under that thing?" Raye asked suspiciously, seeing her friend draped in a purple velvet cloak.

"My dress for my performance, I can't just show it off now!" Serena smiled.

"Uh huh, drama queen," Raye rolled her eyes, turning back to her reflection. She was wearing a red silk dress and her hair flowed down her back in gentle waves.

"You look a million dollars Raye," Serena complimented her friend.

"Thanks Sere."

"Hey girls," Mina said, striking a pose, "What do you think?" Mina was wearing a sparkling white simple spaghetti strap dress that ended just above her knee, but had a split that went halfway up her thigh.

"Andrew is going to die when he sees you," Lita remarked. She was wearing an emerald green dress all the way down to her ankles with strappy black high heels.

"I hope Greg likes what I am wearing," Ami said worriedly, clearly unaware how lovely she looked in her paisley blue knee-length dress.

"Ok girls, you all look fabulous... lets go!" Serena said, leading the way out the door.

"Should we tell her?" Raye whispered with a quiet laugh after Serena had slipped out.

"NO! She'll kill us. We'll tell her we backed out of the talent contest after it's all over and she already knows. It'll give us time to run and hide!" Mina giggled.

.

"Andrew, looking snappy," Darien said with a smirk.

"I try," Andrew said, straightening the bow tie of his tuxedo, "Not all of us look like Darien Chiba," he teased.

Darien just threw his friend an amused glance. He had only put on a tuxedo suit without a tie, leaving the button of his silver white shirt at his neck undone. He didn't know how attractive he looked slightly ruffled, being only concerned with the fact that he felt constrained by the tight neckline.

"Alright, if you are finished preening Andrew can we go?" Darien sighed.

**CHAPTER 14: THE TALENT CONTEST**

"Introducing the Starlights!" the host of the talent contest, a pudgy old fellow, cried with much ado into the microphone before handing it to Seiya.

"I didn't know Seiya was in a band," Andrew said.

"Yeah, it's dreamy," Mina sighed.

Serena just laughed at her friend and gave Seiya a wave. He winked back at her before stepping forward.

"This song is dedicated to the beautiful girls in the world, and maybe one in particular," he smiled, blushing as he said the last part.

Darien shot Serena a look, but she hadn't seemed to cotton on to the fact that Seiya was smitten with her. She had instead left the table to go see her parents who were sitting not too far away.

"Hey Darien, so what are you doing for the talent contest?"

"Ah, just some magic tricks, what are you girls doing?"

"Nothing!" Raye said, giggling behind her hand.

Darien raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, we just wanted Serena to sing," Lita piped up.

"Why?"

"You'll see," Ami said mysteriously.

Andrew leant in to Mina and asked her what the secret was. She turned to him, cupping her hand to her mouth.

"Serena has an amazing voice. She never lets anyone hear her sing though. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us girls to see our friend shine!" Mina whispered, the love for her friend evident in her voice.

The Starlights finished singing with a bow and another act took to the stage.

"So when are you girls up?" Serena said standing behind Raye.

"Oh, later on I suppose," Lita said with a poker face while Raye grinned wildly, knowing Serena couldn't see her face.

"Darien Chiba with some magic tricks folks!" the host's voice came.

Darien got up on stage and with apparent skill plucked a rose out of thin air. The audience gasped as it disappeared and the reappeared several times before he finished with a grand finale, producing a bouquet of red roses that he threw out to the ladies sitting in the front.

"Well done Darien," Andrew complimented his friend as he sat back at the table.

"It wasn't really anything," Darien said with a grin.

The night wore on with act after act. Some had decided to sing, but were quite terrible. Once or twice the host deliberately let the music fail, allowing the person to be ushered off stage so that the 'technical problems' could be fixed, only to call the next act.

"Where's Serena?" Mina asked, noticing she had disappeared.

"I think she's just getting ready," Raye said, not noticing the next act had appeared on stage.

"And now ladies and gentleman, for our final act, a love song," the host said softly in the microphone before handing it to the young woman whose face was hidden by a shadow.

"Gentleman, would you please find a lady here tonight with whom you would like to dance? I would be honoured if you would join me on the dance floor," a smooth voice came over the microphone.

The men began to move around the room, seeking a dance partner. Greg asked Ami and she politely accepted while Andrew bowed deeply before Mina, extending his hand which she laughingly accepted. Raye was swept away by Chad while Lita found herself being tapped on the shoulder by a tall brown-haired young man with striking green eyes.

"Hi, is Serena here?" Seiya said shyly, stopping by the table.

"No, I don't know where she is. Probably the bathroom; you know girls," Darien shrugged.

"Oh," an obviously disappointed Seiya said, shuffling away to ask another young lady to dance.

The smooth voice came again over the microphone, "This song is dedicated to first kisses." The woman behind the voice gave a slight giggle before the piano and violinist began playing a soft tune. The woman began to sing...

_Till You Love Me – Reba McEntire_

_I sent you roses, I warned you I would do all that I could, to show you the way that I feel,_

_Please don't say I'm wasting my time, I've got nothing but time, so I'll do all that I can_

_To catch that ghost of a chance..._

The spotlight suddenly shone on the woman and Darien, Andrew and the girls gasped to see Serena standing there. She wore a sparkling black spaghetti strap dress that hugged her slim body all the way down to her waist where it slightly flared out to settle delicately at her feet. Her hair fell in golden waves down her back, the black dress setting off her pale skin and golden locks.

She continued to sing into the chorus, her voice strong and sure.

_The sunlight; the moon light; are beyond my control,_

_And there are stars in the heavens, that I'll never hold_

_But if dreams give you power, then I'm strong enough_

_To offer my heart, and never give up_

_Till you love me._

Darien stared at the vision before him, unable to take his eyes from the confident young woman singing with grace and poise on the stage. Couples continued to dance slowly together on the dance floor, swayed by the romance of the song.

Serena smiled at the dancing couples and gracefully made her way down the stairs to mingle with the couples. Taking the hand of a random young man sitting alone she danced with him a moment as she sung the second verse...

_I looked in your eyes so bright and so blue, and that's when I knew... that you could be mine_

_If good things come to those who will wait, well I guess I can wait if that's what I have to do_

_Oh it's worth it for you_

Darien left his chair, walking slowly to where she had danced with the single young men, taking them by the hand for a quick waltz before returning them to their seat with a smile. She walked to the middle of the dance floor and, throwing her free hand out, her eyes closed with a smile as she entered into the chorus again...

_The sunlight; the moon light; are beyond my control,_

_And there are stars in the heavens, that I'll never hold_

_But if dreams give you power, then I'm strong enough_

_To offer my heart, and never give up_

_Till you love me._

A brief guitar solo took over the ball room and she swayed gently to the music. Darien walked up behind her, taking her by the hand to dance the few bars she had free. She still had her eyes closed and a small smile played on her lips. He whisked her around in a twirl before bringing her back to him, his eyes never leaving her perfect face. She suddenly squeezed his hand before turning to walk back up onto the stage, never seeing who she had danced with those precious few moments.

Darien stared at her as she sauntered up the steps before abruptly turning to face the crowd, her small fist clenched tightly to her chest as she poured her heart into her song and her voice rose with easily controlled power as she reached the crescendo of the song...

_The sunlight; the moon light; are beyond my control,_

_And there are stars in the heavens, that I'll never hold_

_But if dreams give you power, then I'm strong enough_

_To offer my heart, and never give up_

_Till you love me... till you love me... till you love me..._

Darien slowly left the dance floor and unseen exited the ballroom. He felt light in his heart and a silly grin played on his handsome face. He couldn't get her out of his head and he sighed as he leant against the wall behind a fern to savour the feeling of his heart fluttering. Images of Serena filled his mind of her vivaciousness and love for life. He remembered the maturity she had shown him last night as she forgave him and in the park when she told him she was meant for only one person, forever. He remembered the love she had for her friends and the loyal love they gave back with equal ardour. He remembered her gracefulness as she skated, and the way she had fiercely defended the young boy in the park who was being bullied. He remember her defiant face as he teased her mercilessly every day they met since she had first hit him with her failed test paper.

_You were right Serenity, she is an unquenchable spirit, a fire that won't be snuffed out_.

Darien sighed, and closing his eyes he accepted his fate. He was completely, utterly, impossibly, unbelievably in love.

.

.

**The End**


	4. SME Part 4: Young Hearts

Disclaimer:

I dont own Sailor Moon at all. Not even one DVD.

This is the fourth instalment to the Sailor Moon Exposed story.

**YOUNG HEARTS**

**CHAPTER 1: FRIENDS FOREVER**

**The night continues...**

Serena finished her song with flourish, giving a graceful bow to the audience. She felt exhilarated from the performance and had she been asked she would have kept on singing all night!

"Serena that was beautiful!" Mina cried as she ran onstage to hug her friend tightly.

"Yeah meatball head, so you do you have some redeeming qualities," Raye said affectionately, joining the two blondes.

"WHOO HOO Serena!" Lita called out, giving her friends the thumbs up.

Ami just sent Serena a proud smile.

"Young lady that was amazing!" the host exclaimed as he grasped her hands in his, his fat chin wobbling in excitement, "You must sing again for us! Please you must agree!"

Serena giggled, "Um, when would I sing? The talent contest is over?"

"We are planning to have a fancy dress dinner in a week and then the final week of the holidays we shall have a masked ball, please say you will sing then!" he pleaded, the man could not contain himself.

"Come on Serena, you know you want to," Mina said proudly to her friend, knowing she secretly loved to sing.

"Only if you do a duet with me Mina," Serena said, smiling lovingly at her friend.

"Oh Serena!" Mina squealed, throwing her arms around the girl.

"Serena you were amazing," Seiya said, shyly stepping up to the group.

"Thanks Seiya," Serena said through the blonde hair in her face, Mina had yet to loosen her bear hug on her.

"Hey girls, lets go to the balcony and enjoy the view. Its not often we get a moment of peace," Raye said, eyebrow arched with hidden reference to their usual pastime of dusting youma. It was funny how the NegaVerse rarely attacked during the school holidays... but then even evil has to take a holiday sometime. She motioned to Lita and Ami to follow them outside.

Giggling, the girls followed her out to the balcony and were glad to find it deserted. It extended several metres out from the hotel and gave them a good view of the snow covered land. They all took a seat near the railing, basking in the glow of friendship and sisterhood.

"Serena, you sounded wonderful tonight," Lita said.

"Yes, Serena, I know it was hard for you to give up your dream," Ami added.

Serena sighed as she and Mina gave each other a knowing look. She had wanted to be a singer, or ice skater, or something equally wonderful like that. Mina had been an actress and played Sailor V. But then they had discovered that they were Sailor Scouts – sworn protectors of truth, love and justice. Fame doesn't really gel with secret identities, so they had both given up their dreams for the sake of the world at the tender age of 14. She looked out over the snowy landscape and gave a disgusted snort. She was much too young to feel this damn old; to make decisions about saving the world. She should have been giggling over boys and practising to put on makeup. Instead she was searching for a princess and fighting youma every other night.

"Hey Sere, lets ditch this party and go upstairs for a girls night in. We can order a movie on cable and eat sweets until we feel better about this crappy ride we call life," Raye said, standing up.

Serena smiled at Raye and her friends. They had all given up something to be the Sailor Scouts, but they had most certainly been blessed to be given each other's friendship in return.

.

"Hey Darien, what are you doing out here?" Andrew asked, popping his head around the fern Darien was behind, "I've been looking for you."

"Oh, just needed some fresh air," Darien replied, hiding his joy behind a calm smile.

"Did you see Serena? She was amazing. I never knew she had it in her," Andrew said with admiration. It seemed as though his honorary little sister had grown up right before his eyes and without him knowing it.

"Yes I know Andrew, it seems our little girl has grown up so quickly and all of a sudden," Ikuko Tsukino said behind him.

"Mrs Tsukino, Mr Tsukino, glad to see you," Andrew greeted them warmly, "I was just thinking the same thing."

"Don't talk about it anymore son, I've managed this far without her getting a boyfriend and now I'll have to bat them off with a stick!" Kenji Tsukino groaned.

"Who is this handsome young man Andrew?" Ikuko said, ignoring her husband.

"This is Darien. Darien, please meet Mr and Mrs Tuskino," Andrew said politely.

"It is nice to meet you, Darien," Ikuko smiled at him pleasantly.

"Yes. Stay away from my daughter," Kenji said jokingly, shaking Darien's hand with vigour.

Darien could only respond with a nervous laugh as he flushed lightly beneath his tan. He saw Serena tiptoe up to her mother to lean up and whisper in her ear. She had taken off her high heels and was padding around barefoot. A strap had fallen careless from her shoulder to hang tantalisingly down her arm. He looked down at the floor – anywhere but at Serena.

"Ok sweetie, you have fun," Ikuko said, kissing her daughter on her forehead.

"Goodnight daddy," Serena said as she stepped up to her father to kiss him on the cheek.

"Goodnight pumpkin. You were wonderful tonight. I'm so proud of you. I cannot believe you have grown into a young lady overnight. My bunny is all grown up," Kenji smiled, blinking back fatherly tears.

Serena just gave him a quick hug and disappeared upstairs with her giggling friends.

"What are they up to Ikuko? What did she whisper?" Kenji enquired, furrowing his brow at the giggling girls who had disappeared from sight.

"They are going to have a girls night in. They decided that the ball was too boring for the likes of young things like them and are going to go watch movies and pig out," Ikuko smiled serenely.

"Boring? I'll show you boring!" Kenji exclaimed, "Excuse me gentleman, I must now sweep my wife off her feet," he said politely to the two young men as he pulled her onto the dance floor.

Andrew and Darien could only look at each other and shrug. They stood there in companionable silence for a few minutes before Andrew spoke up.

"It's just not the same without the girls," Andrew sighed.

"You mean without Mina," Darien teased.

"Yeah, that too. I'm going to head up to bed, wanna come and watch a movie with me? Guys night in?"

Darien could only laugh at the pair of them – two grown men on holiday at a snowy resort and they were going to go have a guys night in because five boisterous girls decided to call it a night. They were so pathetic.

**CHAPTER 2: A KISS TO REMEMBER**

**Later that evening**

"What time is it?" Lita yawned.

"11pm," Raye replied, yawning back.

"I can't believe I'm so tired," Mina said, stretching.

Ami only snored softly from her sleeping bag on the floor of their lounge area.

"I'm totally not tired!" Serena said, fidgeting. The high of singing still thrumming through her veins.

"I'll bet, tell me something Miss Serena, just _who_ was that song dedicated to?" Mina said lazily.

Serena just blushed. Raye threw a pillow at her and she ducked, giggling.

"Oh I know I should stay away from him guys, but come on. I can dream. Besides, he is probably the only guy who would understand my life," Serena mused, putting her hands behind her head and laying back on the lounge. She suddenly sat up, nervous energy making it hard for her to relax.

"Guys, I'm gonna go do some ice skating," she said abruptly.

"Serena it's so late, I don't think you should," Raye said tiredly.

"I promise I'll be back in an hour. I just need to get this energy out of me, you know?" she replied, pulling on some warmer clothes and grabbing her skates.

"Ok, be careful. I expect you to wake me up when you get back in an hour," Raye mumbled.

"Ok, thanks guys," Serena said, slipping out the door. Seeing her leave, Lita decided to voice her thoughts on a certain someone.

"Do you think we've been too hard on her?" Lita asked, "It's not like Tuxedo Mask is a bad guy."

"Yeah I know. She is right, he would probably be someone who could understand her. But I just don't want her to get hurt. I mean, what does anyone really know about the guy?" Raye said back.

"Maybe we should just let love run its course. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. There is no stopping it if it's going to happen anyway, and Serena is smarter than we give her credit for," Mina interjected.

"Yeah true. Well we can worry about it when we get home, at least he isn't here," Raye said softly before sleep overcame her.

Gentle snores from her sleeping companions were the only response.

.

Darien had unashamedly been listening in on the girl's conversation. As fate had it he and Andrew were in the room next door and it wasn't too difficult to hear the girl's chatter. If he wasn't Tuxedo Mask, most normal people would have heard their shrieks and laughter quite easily.

_So, she's going ice skating, _he thought, an opportunistic grin coming to his face.

_If it's meant to be, it's meant to be..._ Mina's words rang in his ears.

Turning his head to see the sleeping face of Andrew, he slipped out onto the balcony of their room and in a single leap transformed into Tuxedo Mask as he landed neatly on the snow.

"I can't leave my princess waiting, especially when she sung me such a pretty song," he whispered into the night.

.

Serena arrived at the lake to find it shimmering like glass in the bright moonlight. The air was crisp and perfect, and she enjoyed the cool air against her cheeks and the way her hair flared delicately back from her face in the breeze. Slipping on her skates she did a few warm up rounds around the lake, her hands in her pockets as she reminisced over the talent contest.

_One of the rare times I get to be normal_, she thought gratefully.

Having sufficiently warmed up she turned quickly on her heel to glide gracefully backwards, one leg stretched up behind her and one arm in front and behind for balance. Her hair flowed out in front of her face and suddenly swept around her as she fazed into a gentle spin. She slowed to a stop before skating around the lake a few times, gathering speed. Feeling a burst of energy, she took a few more graceful skates before leaping into the air to complete a triple pirouette. Her feet came together easily in the air as her hands wrapped around her body to keep her centred. Her hair flung out around her in ribbons as she twirled in the air, to land neatly on the ice and into a long glide.

.

Tuxedo Mask leant against a random tree, enjoying the sight of Serena clearly enjoying herself in the privacy of the night. He loved the way her hair flung out around her, and was amazed to see her as she leapt into the air to twist several times before landing. What could he say? The girl kept amazing him every moment he got to know her better.

He watched her eyes close as she threw her arms out behind her, doing lazy circles on the ice.

_Now is my chance I suppose..._

.

Serena skated lazily in a backwards direction on the ice, enjoying the feeling of gliding. She suddenly felt a fluttering around her and opened her eyes to see red velvet either side of her. She narrowed her eyes in confusion.

_Red?_

"Serena," his voice whispered in his ear, his hand steadying her by her waist when she gasped, almost losing her footing. He wrapped a protective arm around her waist and skated backwards with her, his chin level with her temple. She breathed in deeply, enjoying the scent of the cologne that buzzed through her senses.

_If this is a dream and I have actually fallen over and hit my head, and in reality I am now unconscious on the ice then please don't let me wake up for a while..._

She allowed him to lead her as he took her hand and spun her slowly around to face him. He pulled her forward, continuing to skate backwards, circling the lake. She could only silently follow his lead, too caught up in the absolute perfection of ice skating under the moon with Tuxedo Mask.

"What are you doing here?" she asked softly, afraid to break the moment but too curious to stay silent.

"I couldn't not come, not after your song," he said with a mysterious smile.

"You were there?"

"Yes, and no," he said, tilting his head to the side slightly as if avoiding the question.

"It's ok. I understand you have a secret identity. I won't pry," she smiled.

_She just gets more amazing. Every other girl would die to know who I am. Then again this is Serena and she just might die if she found out who I was..._ Darien thought sadly beneath the mask.

She sighed, "I have to get back to my friends, they are waiting for me."

"Oh," Tuxedo Mask only replied, looking away over the landscape.

"Thanks for coming, it was nice," she smiled.

"Before you go..."

"Yes?"

"Serena, I heard people saying we kissed but I don't remember it. Do you know why?" he asked gently.

Serena paused, S_hould I tell him? Should I lie? What if he figures it out again? -Sigh- Lie it is..._

"I think you were hit pretty hard by a youma. Sailor Moon and her scouts took you somewhere after that..." her voice trailed off. At least the last part wasn't a lie.

"Oh. I wish I could remember," he said softly with a tinge of sadness, "I remember a kiss, but only a shadow of it. It's very foggy."

She smiled softly, "That's too bad I suppose. It was a very nice kiss," she said, blushing lightly.

He quirked an eyebrow at her before leaning down to whisper in her ear, "That is not fair princess..."

She almost gasped when his breath tickled her ear and electricity tingled down her neck like sweet fire. She realised just how close they had gotten on the ice and could only wait helplessly in his arms.

"... so I think we need to make it even. I would like to have a kiss to remember."

Serena sucked in a shallow breath when she realised what he meant to do. His cheek grazed hers as he drew back from her ear to rub her nose gently with his. She sighed softly, fluttering her eyes closed, as the most beautiful pair of lips ever to grace the earth gently pressed against her own. She could feel her heart thudding in her chest, and slowly raised her arms up till her hand played with the dark hair at the nape of his neck. She shuddered softly when he pulled her closer to him, wrapping her in the warmth of his cape. He nipped gently at her bottom lip, taking advantage of her soft groan to deepen the kiss.

_Oh... my... sweet... delicious... irresistible...goodness..._ she thought drunkenly.

The kiss slowly ended as they drew apart. She closed her eyes, savouring the moment as long as she could.

"I hope that was very memorable," she whispered to him.

"Very," he chuckled softly, "I don't know how I could forget the first one if it was anything like that."

She felt him cup her chin, running his thumb along her cheek. She opened her eyes to find herself staring into his gorgeous blue gaze.

"Goodnight Serena," he bid before gliding backwards from her and leaping lightly high into the air and into the trees, disappearing from sight.

Serena stared after him for a moment, making sure he was gone before shrieking her joy to the moon with a small hop before racing back to the hotel to make her 'curfew' with Raye.

**CHAPTER 3: THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK**

"Endymion!" the blonde with exceedingly long hair cried out joyfully, leaping into the man's waiting arms.

"Serenity," he breathed, as if she were his very reason for living.

Darien looked at the scene before him, confused for a moment before realising he was dreaming. He was sitting in a rose garden and for some reason the Earth instead of the Moon was in the sky. It was day, and the couple embracing some distance from him began to whisper in soft, but clearly excited tones.

"We were so happy," Serenity sighed, sitting beside him on the stone seat.

Darien turned to see Serenity sitting beside him. Whipping his head back to the couple embracing she was still there with the man... Endy-something.

"Ok... I'm seeing double."

Serenity chuckled softly beside him, "I told you once you opened your heart your mind would be opened too."

"Ok... no, not following."

Serenity sighed a sigh that was full of endless patience and yet held a hint of exasperation. The man was lucky he had his looks sometimes.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll figure it out... eventually," she smiled kindly, looking wistfully back at the couple who were now walking slowly together, obviously savouring every moment together.

"Serenity, I'm sorry for the other night. I was out of line," Darien said apologetically.

"Thats ok Darien. If I quite remember you were forgiven," she smiled sweetly at him.

"So what is this?" Darien asked, looking around him.

"It's a dream Darien."

"I know that. Is this a memory of you?"

She laughed softly, "It's _your_ dream."

"So it's MY memory?"

"I suppose so."

"Does she have these dreams?"

Serenity paused, "Yes, but they don't make sense to her."

"Why don't I just tell her who she is Serenity?" Darien suddenly asked, "Maybe she'd remember then, or something."

"No!" Serenity said vehemently, shaking her head, "She must, like you must, remember on your own."

"But I still don't remember anything about myself, and you yourself said I won't until she remembers who she is," Darien replied with a frown. "It seems like I am in a catch 22 situation, damned if I do, damned if I don't."

Serenity shrugged, "I'm just a pawn of forces greater than me, not your fortune teller."

"Well then I guess I'll just tell her then won't I?" Darien smirked.

"You think you are so cocky Darien. Well there are a few problems with that. One, how will you explain that you know about all this? Two, even if you did it as Tuxedo Mask how will you prove she is who she is, and three how do you expect to do it without freaking the poor girl out?" Serenity said, listing off all the problems, "And lastly, if you tell her instead of her remembering you will put her in great danger. You aren't the only person looking for her."

"The Sailor Scouts are looking for her..." Darien murmured, his voice trailing off.

"The Scouts will protect her when she is revealed," Serenity replied, looking off into the distance at the couple who had their foreheads touching.

Darien scrutinised the woman beside him, _Damn her knowledge, she knows way more than she tells_.

"So Darien... did you enjoy her kisses tonight?" Serenity said with a soft smirk, "I should really refer to Tuxedo Mask seeing as he was really the one who had the pleasure."

Darien growled low in his throat, annoyed that she was right, "For your information I did. But Serena and I have an interesting relationship. I'm her 'annoying cousin'."

"How are you going to change that?" Serenity enquired innocently.

Darien reeled back slightly in shock, "What do you mean?"

"Well you're in love with her..." she said, leading the conversation.

"Yes," he said, unable to help the lopsided smile on his face.

Serenity sighed that same patient sigh again and shook her head, "Well, aren't you going to try to get her to fall in love with you?"

Darien looked shocked. He hadn't really thought that far, but to be fair he had only realised he was in love a few hours ago. He smiled at the thought of Serena loving him back. Being in love was wonderful, if she loved him back it couldn't be more perfect than that. He suddenly frowned.

"I kissed her tonight as Tuxedo Mask," he said softly, considering the obvious problem at hand.

"Yeah... you did..." Serenity drawled beside him, "So the question remains, which one of you is she going to fall for? The hero of Tokyo, or the man behind the mask?"

"Ah damn..." Darien sighed. Suddenly being in love had gotten unbelievably complicated.

**CHAPTER 4: REVENGE**

Serena yawned and sat up on her bed, rubbing her eyes. She smiled at the events of last night, but decided to think about it all later. Right now she was a bit hungry. Padding out into the lounge area she saw that the girls were still asleep, strewn all around the lounge room in various spots. She smiled at her sleeping friends, but the innocent smile soon turned into an evil grin.

_I'll teach them to pike out of a talent contest and trick me like that..._

Quickly getting dressed, she grabbed all the makeup, hairbrushes and beauty items from the bathroom and from her friend's bags, she threw it all into a satchel, set the alarm and quietly slipped out the door.

.

Darien woke early, feeling quite famished and ready for breakfast. Seeing Andrew was still asleep he got dressed and quietly left the room. He walked down the hall and got to the stairs only to see Serena creeping slowly down them with a satchel.

"What are you doing?"

She froze, and turned toward him, but instead of looking at him she flicked a glance past him before giving him a stern look and shushing him, pressing her finger to her lips. She continued quietly down the stairs, looking around her carefully.

Coming down the stairs as quietly and as quickly as he could he came up beside her to whisper in her ear, "What are you doing?"

"Getting some revenge. Help me hide this, then we can go to breakfast and after that," she smiled evilly, "We will wait for the fireworks!"

She looked around, but couldn't seem to find a satisfactory hiding place. Then she looked directly at him with those big blue eyes of hers full of evil joy.

"I've got a better idea," she said, heading back up the stairs and towards his room, he followed her around the corner to see her pointing at the door as she said with simple determination, "Open it."

"Why?"

"Because Andrew chickened out too."

"Ah," Darien replied, realising what mischief she was up to and eagerly complying.

"Stand guard," she whispered, sneaking into the room to place the bag on the bed with the unsuspecting victim.

He waited dutifully outside the door until she quietly stepped out of the room, shutting the door as silently as she could.

"So what was in that thing?" Darien asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"The precious..." she said in her best golem voice, she giggled behind her hand, "No seriously, it's all the makeup from the room I share with the girls. They thought they could get away with leaving me on my own in the talent contest last night. This is just to even the score."

"What about your makeup?"

"I didn't bring any. I don't wear the stuff most of the time..."

_Wow, so she naturally looks that beautiful all the time,_ his mind wandered before he realised she was still talking.

"...Come on, I'm starving. I want to be able to enjoy my breakfast before having to run for my life," she said, walking toward the dining hall. A few people were up, but mostly the guests had had a late night and were clearly sleeping in today.

Darien followed her mutely to the dining hall. They grabbed a plate and filled it with some of the breakfast from the buffet options.

"Careful meatball head, you don't want to eat the hotel out of all their food. Others need to eat too," he teased gently.

"Shut up Darien, or I'll take all your beauty products too and then what will you do when you can't get your hair to flick just-so?" she teased back.

He just smiled, enjoying the tentative new friendship they seemed to have struck up since she forgave him the night before last. _Its a start... _he thought.

"SERENA!" a voice from the ceiling above was heard to shriek.

Serena ate her breakfast just that little bit faster, "_That_ was Raye," she said between mouthfuls.

"WHERE IS IT?" another voice cried pitifully.

"That was Ami," Serena smiled with glee.

"ITS ALL GONE, I CAN'T BELIEVE HER!" a third voice yelled.

"That was Lita," she giggled, "but I see we have saved the best for last..."

Sure enough, Mina screamed in a blind rage, "I'M GOING TO KILL HER!"

"Wow, I've never heard Mina that upset," Darien remarked, shooting Serena a you're-insane look.

"Yeah, she's so vain," Serena laughed, "They're my friends, and I know where to hit them where it hurts."

Suddenly four clearly annoyed girls stormed into the dining hall, hair tied messily back in ponytails and hands covering their un-made up faces. Darien was amused to see Serena lean forward, a perfectly innocent and slightly surprised look on her face.

"Guys, what's wrong?" she said, with just that right amount of concern in her voice.

"_Someone_ has taken all the makeup," Raye said angrily.

"Why would they do that?" Serena said looking up at her friends with her big blue eyes, a confused look suddenly coming on their faces when they realised Serena wasn't acting like a guilty person.

"Maybe Andrew did," Darien added, keeping his face straight, "He stepped out of the room late last night, and his uncle is an investor here...I'm sure room keys wouldn't be a problem for him to get to..." he added, letting the last part of his sentence trail off.

The four girls looked at each other with calculating glances for a silent moment.

"Darien," Ami said quietly, "Can we please have your room key?"

Darien handed over the key and watched the girls leave before turning to Serena, "You are the most evil little imp I've ever known. You just sat there lying through your teeth like a pro, I would have believed you if I hadn't been up this morning," he mock-chided her.

She just smiled down at her breakfast, continuing to pick at it.

"ARGH-!" a muffled cry was heard from upstairs.

Serena raised her eyebrows as her four friends dragged Andrew, who was held captive by his own blankets wrapped tightly around his body, past the dining hall doors and outside.

"I have to see this!" she squealed, leaving her breakfast to race after her friends.

Darien decided to follow, stepping up behind Serena a moment later. She was crying tears of laughter as she watched her friends dump Andrew into the snow at the top of the hill before giving him a shove with their feet to send him rolling down the hill. Darien smiled at the scene before him and allowed himself a small chuckle, glancing down at the beautiful blonde who was leaning against the door gasping for breath as she laughed. When she had stopped laughing she looked back up at him with the biggest grin on her face and he felt as though his heart would stop at her innocent beauty.

_Not THAT innocent..._ he thought, remembering her recent antics.

At that moment, Seiya appeared beside them.

**CHAPTER 5: GAME ON**

"Good morning Serena," Seiya said, smiling at Serena.

"Morning Seiya," she said politely.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" he asked her, ignoring Darien who was presently fervently wishing that a freak earthquake would see Seiya swallowed up and never seen or heard from again.

"I was having breakfast with Darien actually," she replied, Darien allowed a tiny smile of triumph to touch his lips until she said, "But you are welcome to join us."

Seiya, of course, _leapt_ at the opportunity while Darien just rolled his eyes. He studied the other man covertly as they seated themselves back at the table. He was not nearly as tall as him, _HA!_, had boring grey-blue eyes, _Serena likes Tuxedo Mask's eyes, I've heard enough of it at the Arcade_, long black hair down to his waist, _What a girl_, and wore some sort of rumpled brown-tinged lime suit, _Probably going for the wasted rocker look_.

"So Serena, I hear you are going to sing for us again?" Seiya was saying.

"Yeah I suppose. Mina and I are going to sing at the fancy dress ball next week and I suppose I'll find something to sing for the masked ball."

"You looked great last night by the way," Seiya complimented her heavily.

Darien was glad to see that Serena didn't even blush, _She always blushes when I tease her_.

"Thanks Seiya, its fun to get dressed up every now and then."

"I'll be doing it more often. A record company manager was at the talent contest last night by chance and has offered to sign the Starlights up with his company," Seiya said, trying to impress the girl.

Darien couldn't control the snort that came from him, _In the words of Shania Twain – that don't impress me much, or her it seems either._

Serena asked if he was ok, while Seiya threw him an annoyed glance. Darien just smiled and said he just had to clear his throat.

"Hey guys, thanks for breakfast, I'm going to go freshen up," Serena suddenly announced as she got up from the table to go back to her room.

The second she left, all hell broke loose.

"Geez _Seiya_, could you crash and burn any worse?" Darien said snidely.

"Geez _Darien_, could you look anymore like a lost puppy?" Seiya sneered back.

"She's so not interested in you."

"At least I'm in there. _You're _no competition, sitting there like a flipping rag doll."

"My pinky finger has a better chance with her than your entire get-up, what _are_ you meant to be dressed as anyway? You'd think you could iron your clothes and look decent before leaving your room."

"You think _you_ have a chance? I've spent every morning with her since she got here!"

"I've seen her every day for the last six months."

"She'll be mine by the night of the masked ball," Seiya declared.

"You haven't got a chance," Darien stated confidently.

"Wanna bet?" Seiya challenged him, staring him directly in the eye. He suddenly stood to his feet, calling out to Serena who had obviously finished 'freshening up' and was walking by the dining hall, "Hey Sere-bear, are we going to catch up, same time and place as _usual_?" Seiya asked sweetly, directing the last word straight at Darien.

"Sure, see you in an hour," Serena called back with a wave.

Seiya looked at Darien with a triumphant gaze, but was surprised to see him smirking back at him, unfazed.

"Sere-bear?" Darien said mockingly to Seiya as he rose from the table, turning toward the door to call to Serena, "Serena, wait for me."

"Do you even know where I'm going?" Serena called back.

"Always, I know you like no other meatball head," he teased her.

She just poked her tongue out at him and told him to hurry up. Turning back to Seiya, Darien smirked at the young man who was clearly very annoyed at the turn of events.

"You haven't got anything on me _Darien_. I can offer her everything her heart desires now that I've a record contract," Seiya seethed.

Darien laughed, "But I do have something on you Seiya, I can offer her everything _you can't_."

.

"Come on Darien, you could at least try to skate," Serena teased the dark haired man mercilessly as she skated circles around him. She'd deliberately skated within a hair-breadth of him to put him off balance and had laughed joyfully when he'd fallen right on his bum on the cold, hard ice.

"You are so dead when we get off the ice," he muttered menacingly.

"That's if you can even get off the ice. From where I'm standing, you can barely skate as it is!" she smiled, and he couldn't help but smile back. Who could resist that smile? He saw her look at her watch and heard her groan as she slapped her head.

"I have to go, I'm late," she said apologetically, sitting on a log at the edge of the lake to pull her shoes on.

"Ok. I'll walk back with you. Andrew wants to go for a hike or something," Darien said as he joined her on the log.

"Darien?" Serena suddenly said softly.

"Yeah?"

"I like being your friend. You're much nicer this way."

He smiled, "I still intend to tease you, you know. Your face gets all scrunched up when you're mad you know. It's pretty funny," he grinned, tying his bootlace.

She punched him lightly on the arm in response and they walked in companionable silence back to the hotel.

"Serena..." Seiya said, getting up from his chair on the porch and barely holding back a frown when he saw her with Darien... still.

"Sorry I'm late Seiya," she smiled.

"Yeah, time flies when you're having fun Seiya. You know how it is," Darien quipped.

Seiya ignored Darien, and instead offered his arm to Serena, "Let's go then."

Darien could barely contain his smirk when Serena walked by Seiya toward the meeting room, completely missing the arm he'd extended toward her. Seiya just shot him a glare. His smirk broke into a wide grin when Mina came flying down the stairs to demand Serena's presence _immediately_ so they could begin practicing for their duet at the fancy dress ball. Seiya of course was completely ok with Serena taking a rain-check on their daily morning meeting. Seiya shot Darien another glare behind Serena's back when she turned to leave, to which Darien responded by whistling a happy tune, hands in pockets, as he walked away to find Andrew.

.

"Serena, what are we going to sing?" Mina whined, flicking through a list of songs online but unable to find one she envisioned herself singing.

"I was thinking something sweet and romantic for the couples," Serena said wistfully.

"Oh someone's in lurve!"

"Not yet," Serena giggled.

"Oh! Do tell!" Mina begged.

"Not yet ok? I just want to wait and see what happens... hey what about that song?"

"What one?" Mina said, scrunching her eyes up at the computer screen.

"You've got a way by Shania Twain. It was the theme song to that Notting Hill movie, its really sweet," Serena said, tapping the screen.

Mina clicked the listen button, and after a few moments smiled. "Perfect."

**CHAPTER 6: PRELUDE TO A BROKEN HEART**

**A few days later...**

"Thanks Seiya for all your help," Serena smiled as she packed her books away.

"No problem Serena," Seiya sighed tiredly. It was 7pm and they'd been studying for the last hour.

"Hey Serena, this came for you," Mina said, entering the meeting room with a small box in her hand.

"Really? I wonder what it is... ooh!" Serena squealed, for upon opening the box there was a perfectly bloomed red rose with a note saying 'tonight'.

At that moment Raye, Lita and Ami fell out from behind the door.

Raye looked up at Serena, unfazed that she was now on the floor stuck under Lita and Ami and demanded, "Well?! What's in it!?"

"Uh..." Serena began, putting the box behind her back.

She was however too slow, because Mina grabbed the box lightly from her hands and skipped away from her to open it.

"Ohh... huh?" Mina exclaimed.

The girls crowded around her to see, even Seiya craned his neck in the background, refusing to move but desperate to see the gift.

"Serena what is this?" Lita asked.

"Um, guys can we talk upstairs?" Serena asked quietly, closing the box.

.

"So who is it from Serena, you as you obviously know," Raye demanded as only she could.

"It's from Tuxedo Mask," Serena said quietly.

"WHAT!" four horrified gasps came.

"I saw him a few nights ago when I went ice skating. He just appeared and said he had heard the song I sung and wanted to see me," Serena explained, a light blush coming to her cheeks.

"There is so much more to it than that!" Mina squealed with delight.

"Yeah Sere, SPILL!" Lita added with a tinge of excitement.

"Well... we skated for a bit... and then..."

"AND THEN WHAT!" the four girls screamed, dying to know.

"He kissed me."

Serena covered her ears as her friends screamed and squealed and shrieked with excitement. She giggled a little herself, surprised that they were reacting so well.

"You guys aren't mad?"

"Nah Sere, we sorta talked about it and we think it may be ok..." Raye said uncertainly.

"Yeah, we don't know much about him but we don't think he is a bad guy anymore we suppose," Ami added.

"But be careful ok?" Lita said, taking Serena by the shoulders to look down at her upturned face.

"I will Lita, guys, I promise to be careful."

"Ok then, what are you waiting for? Get out of here!" Ami said, giving Serena a shove toward her bedroom door so she could go get ready.

.

"Tuxedo Mask."

He was standing beside the lake, his cape fluttering softly in the wind. _He so gorgeous..._

"Serena."

He turned to look at her and she felt her heart flutter in her chest as only he could make her feel. He extended his gloved hand to her and gently pulled her onto the ice when she took it...

.

Serena gently clicked the door shut behind her to lean back against it and sigh. A light flicked on behind her and she turned to see her four friends sitting on the couch, arms folded. Raye was the first to speak.

"Well. Go on, tell us EVERYTHING!" she said, breaking into a huge grin.

"We skated a bit, and talked a little about not much at all... then he kissed me on the cheek goodnight," Serena sighed blissfully.

"Just the cheek?" Mina groaned.

"Yes. He was a gentleman," Serena sniffed back.

"So what are you going to do Serena? Secretly meet every other night like Romeo and Juliet?" Lita jumped in.

Serena's wistful smile faded as she considered what Lita had said.

"Serena, what's wrong?" Ami asked, seeing her friend's change of mood.

"You're right Lita, what am I going to do?"

"What do you mean Serena?"

"Well, how is it going to work meeting in secret every night huh? Not being able to share everything with each other because of... uh... the secret identity thing? What do I say to him...'oh Tuxedo Mask, did you nearly get killed tonight? Really? Me too.'" Serena said quietly, seriousness in her voice.

The girls fell silent at Serena's words. She was right, how was it going to work?

"Sere, it's been a bit of a crazy week, AND it's the holidays so we all go a bit fanciful. Why don't you just sleep on it and see if you can't work it out huh?" Mina said wisely.

Serena smiled gratefully at her friend, "Thanks Mina. I will think it over. I'm sure it'll work out in the end like you say."

.

"Would you care to dance my lady?"

"I would good sir," Serenity replied with a giggle, taking Endymion's hand.

Darien watched Serenity and Endymion enter the dance floor amidst the other dancing couples and begin to dance gracefully.

"I loved to dance with him," Serenity sighed beside him.

"You have got to stop doing that Serenity. I know it's only a dream and less formal than meeting in real life, but would a 'hello' kill you?"

Serenity tilted her head to look at him from beneath her lashes, "Tense tonight huh? Didn't give into that passion there did you, just a chaste little kiss on the cheek Darien?"

He rewarded her with a dirty look, before looking back at the dancing couple.

"He looks familiar," Darien said quizzically of Endymion.

"Does he?" Serenity replied calmly.

"You sound like you know something Serenity, care to share?"

"I know a lot of things Darien. If you want to know them, find the crystals and you will remember all by yourself," she said, shaking her head sadly.

"Hmmph," was his only response.

"So Darien, I see you've chosen to _mask _yourself with Serena. Why?"Serenity asked, prodding him with her finger.

Darien sighed, looking to the floor, "It's easier. She already likes Tuxedo Mask I suppose... I don't know how to talk to her let alone begin to... act on my feelings when I'm just, well, me."

"You've been building a nice friendship there Darien, talking to her, going ice skating, having fun with her, the girls and Andrew. Is it so bad?"

"Yes!" he hissed, his heart lurching in his chest painfully, "Because what... what if she doesn't feel the same?"

"What if she could, if you only tried? Or worse, what if she could feel that way about someone else if you didn't?" Serenity said sagely, looking at the memory of Endymion and herself wandering off toward the balcony, the dance now ended. "Love is a risk Darien. How would you feel to know that Endymion and I risked our lives to be with each other, until the very end?" she said softly, a single tear falling delicately down her smooth cheek.

"Was it worth it? The pain?"

Serenity closed her eyes, remembering everything about Endymion she loved; his smile, his warm personality and gentle laughter, his silent solidarity and courage. He had shone as brightly as any star, even as death closed in upon him he was beautiful.

"Yes," she whispered brokenly, "Even unto death it was worth it just to be with him."

**CHAPTER 7: THE FANCY DRESS BALL**

"Girls, you've got two hours to look for your costume ok? Then we have to get back to the hotel for lunch," Ikuko informed them before dragging Kenji away to peer into the various boutique stores that dotted the little mountain town.

"It's not like we will need two hours, there's only one costume shop in this tiny town," Mina moaned, certain they weren't going to find any good costumes in just one store.

"Where is the store anyway?" Serena wondered aloud.

"It's this way," Amy stated, ever prepared.

The girls strolled through the tiny town, giggling and chatting as they made their way to the costume store. Upon seeing the shack the store was located in they were pleasantly surprised to find it was handsomely decorated with beautiful outfits. The girls began to excitedly delve into the clothing racks, squealing with every treasured find.

"Ohh look!" Mina shrieked, finding an Aphrodite outfit. It was a soft gold with mesh full length dress. It fell from one shoulder to gather at the waist by a gold chain to flow to the ground.

"That would be perfect on you," Raye nodded approvingly, "What do you think about this?"

.

"Darien come on, you cannot just wear a tuxedo to a fancy dress ball, you have to get into the spirit of things," Andrew commanded, dragging Darien down the road toward the costume shop.

Darien only groaned in response, allowing himself to be dragged along the street.

Andrew entered the shop pulling Darien behind him only to be met with five shrieks as the girls dived behind the curtains of the dressing rooms.

"What?" Andrew said, blinking rapidly with confusion.

"You CAN'T just see our costumes before the ball!" Lita said, glaring at the intruders.

"Why not?" Andrew asked, clueless about such things.

The girls just rolled their eyes and gave each other knowing looks.

"It's ok, we're done here anyway. We just have to get changed back into our regular clothes," Ami said, pulling her curtain shut.

A few minutes later the girls stepped out with their chosen garment while Andrew and Darien looked dazedly through the mountains of clothes before them. The girls paid for their outfits and, saying goodbye, skipped out the door excited over the night ahead.

Andrew held up a Peter Pan costume to Darien, "So, er, what do you think of this?"

Darien sweatdropped.

.

Several hours later the fancy dress ball began with a show of fireworks. The guests applauded politely with each display, quietly impressed with the efforts of the hotel manager to make their stay memorable.

"The girls are running late," Andrew muttered in his Prince Charming outfit, a regal blue with red lining old-style tuxedo with slightly puffed sleeves.

"You mean Mina," Darien teased his best friend lightly. He saw Andrew's slightly annoyed expression turn to gaping amazement. He followed his friend's gaze to see the girls standing in the door.

Mina entered first in her Aphrodite outfit, her blonde hair curled to one side of her head and hanging lightly over her shoulder. Raye followed in a red sequinned devil outfit, reminiscent of Elizabeth Hurley in Bedazzled. Lita was next, wearing a green lady-of-court ball dress and tittering behind her fan. Ami was next, and Darien heard Greg gasp appreciatively at her in her blue Cinderella outfit. But it was Darien's turn to inhale sharply when Serena appeared dressed in a white and silver fairy costume. The gauze skirt was cut to reveal her long legs to just above her knee while the back flowed down to her ankles that were wrapped in delicate ribbons from the high heels she wore. She wore a white corset decorated by various flowers made of white material while the wings extended up a little higher than her head. The girls had plaited silver ribbons in her hair, plaiting the front part of her hair across the hairline.

The girls wandered up to the guys, and Greg and Andrew were quick to take Ami and Mina to the dance floor and claim them as their partners for the night.

"You look nice Darien," Lita commented absently as she searched the hall for Adrian, the young man she had danced with the night of the talent contest.

Darien accepted the compliment graciously, dressed in his pirate costume. The black pants he wore were cuffed by knee-high brown boots. He wore a plain white pirate top with the top few buttons undone, which was complimented by a dark brown vest that extended below his waist. It tied up with a large dark red belt with silver buckle. He'd tied a blue bandanna around his head, and left his hair undone so it hung messily over his eyes. He'd let Andrew talk him into wearing some smudged mascara under his eyes to complete the look, but had refused to black out any teeth.

"You look nice too Lita, Raye, Serena," he responded.

Lita hadn't heard the compliment, for upon seeing Adrian she had walked off while Darien was mid-sentence. Chad appeared at that moment to whisk Raye away, leaving Serena standing with Darien.

Darien opened his mouth to speak but to his horror no sound came. He quickly closed his mouth, cursing it for refusing to work only to see Serena giving him a what's-wrong-with-you look. He quickly looked away from her and back at the dance floor, and heard her sigh.

"Well?" she said to him, folding her arms to turn to him and frown.

"What?" he asked, perplexed.

"It's only you and me now, aren't you going to at least ask me to dance? I'd rather not be a wallflower you know," she said, poking him.

Darien stood there pole axed. "Er, ok," he finally mumbled.

Serena grinned with delight and dragged him onto the dance floor near to the other girls to dance.

"Serena," Darien said uncertainly.

"What?"

He leant in to whisper in her ear, "I can't dance, I don't think," he confessed.

"That's ok. Me either!" she said happily to move back before shimmying to the music.

"You don't look like you can't dance," he muttered, but took a cue from those around him and mimicked their movements, soon able to find his own rhythm.

"Where's Seiya tonight?" Raye yelled to Serena over the music at one point.

"He's got a gig in a town an hour away," Serena yelled back, "But he'll be here for the masked ball he told me."

_He probably wouldn't miss it for the world_, Darien rolled his eyes.

The night wore on and Darien found himself intermittently dancing with any of the girls as they refused to allow him to sit and bit anti-social. Andrew just laughed at his friend as he was forcibly dragged around the dance floor without a moment's peace.

"You're in now buddy. Once those girls get their claws in you are stuck with them forever. Just let it go, they are in control now," Andrew joked.

Darien only groaned his feeble response.

The host suddenly stepped up to the microphone to interrupt the gala proceedings. "Ladies and gentleman, thank you for coming tonight, you all look fantastic. Now for a special treat we have Serena and Mina to sing for you, ladies," he said, handing Mina the microphone.

The couples on the dancefloor applauded politely as Mina stepped into the spotlight to begin the song. A soft guitar introduction filled the air, and Mina began to sing.

_You've got a way with me, somehow you got me to believe_

_In everything that I could, I gotta say you really got away_

A soft spotlight fazed on to light up Serena who was standing just near Mina as she began to sing the next part.

_You've got a way it seems, you gave me faith to find my dreams_

_You'll never know just what that means, Can't you see you got a way with me?_

The two girls entered beautifully into the chorus, their voices perfectly complementing each other.

_It's in the way you want me, its in the way you hold me_

_The way you show me just what love's made of, its in the way we make love_

Serena began to sing the second verse.

_You've got a way with words, you kept me smiling even when it hurts_

_There's no way to measure what your love is worth_

_I can't believe the way you get through to me._

_It's in the way you want me_... the girls sang together.

Darien saw Andrew staring up at Mina from the dance floor, obviously completely besotted with her.

The song was short and sweet, and the crowd applauded as the girls finished. But a couple cries of 'Encore' turned into a demand across the room. Darien saw Andrew leap onto the stage to whisper in Serena's ear. She smiled and nodded in reply before Andrew turned and took Mina by the hand to take her to the dance floor.

"Smooth Andrew," Darien grinned.

Serena began to sing the song again with a smile as she watched the happy couple in front of her dance together. The world didn't exist to Andrew and Mina as they danced, whispering excitedly to each other, arms clasped around the other's waist. At that moment Darien envied Andrew his easy flirting with Mina.

Serena enjoyed singing the love song. Her mind drifted and she found herself envisioning a man who tenderly cupped her cheek and told her she was his life. She couldn't see his face, but he was somehow familiar. The vision faded and the room came back into focus as the song ended. She blinked a few times, a little surprised by the vision but chose to ignore it. She looked at Andrew and Mina on the dance floor and snorted her annoyance. She brought the microphone up to her lips.

"Andrew, just kiss the girl already!"

Andrew froze and shot Serena a desperate you-didn't-just-do-that look. She grinned back and waved her hand at him to proceed. Laughing, Andrew took Mina into a low dip and kissed her lightly. The crowd around them laughed appreciatively and congratulated the couple on their newfound romance as Andrew led Mina outside.

Serena smiled, glad for her friends; stepping back from the microphone she quietly slipped through the crowd and out a side door to go to her room. There, she put on warmer clothes and grabbed her ice skates before heading down to the lake.

**CHAPTER 8: WHEN IT'S OVER**

Serena arrived at the lake, glad for some time alone. The vision she'd had on stage bothered her. She'd felt connected to the man in it somehow; deeply connected. It wasn't a heart's flutter, but a soul to soul understanding. Her thoughts drifted to Tuxedo Mask. She still hadn't figured out just how their relationship, if you could call it that, would ever work. There would be too many secrets already. He didn't know she was Sailor Moon, or that he probably was only interested in her because she'd been selfish and let a shadow of their first kiss linger in his memories. She couldn't very well go on a date with him without a youma popping up sooner or later and having to run off on him without explanation. He would get suspicious, and when he found out she was Sailor Moon he would feel betrayed.

She sighed deeply. It just wasn't going to work; no matter how nicely he kissed or made her feel.

"Serena," his voice came gently across the lake.

"Tuxedo Mask."

"You sounded lovely tonight, as usual," he said gently, gliding up to her on the ice.

"You were there again hmm?" she smiled.

He leant in and breathed in her perfume – she smelled of vanilla and honey. He could barely contain himself any longer as he bowed his head to kiss her and give in to his desire to feel her lips against his.

He was stopped by her finger against his lips.

"Tuxedo Mask I –"

The moment was shattered by a piercing scream that shattered the ice nearby as a winter youma crashed noisily through the ice and into the air. It stopped in the air, its wings beating cold air down at them, and glared.

"Serena, you must leave now. GO!" Tuxedo Mask commanded her.

She nodded and skated to the edge of the lake, running around the hedges with her skates still on. Once behind the hedges she transformed and called to the other girls on their communicators.

"Problem at the lake," was all she said before snapping it shut and racing back to join Tuxedo Mask, "Damn mini-skirted fuka! It's so cold!" she grumbled.

Tuxedo Mask was throwing roses at the beast in the air, but it was dodging them neatly. Sailor Moon stood back assessing the situation and waiting for the girls. They arrived a moment later.

"Mercury, what is it?"

Mercury furiously tapped away at her computer before gasping with horror, "It's Greg!"

"So it's not a youma? Ok then we must save him," Sailor Moon said decidedly.

"He's a rainbow crystal carrier. The NegaVerse must have sensed him somehow," Mercury cried softly, looking worriedly at her date who was presently attacking Tuxedo Mask.

"Let's go then, distract him long enough and I'll heal him ok?" Sailor Moon commanded, leaping into battle.

Tuxedo Mask was relieved to see the Scouts, "Where is the girl?" he asked, breathless from dodging attacks.

"Your girlfriend is fine Cape-boy," Jupiter called back, dodging an attack from the winged-beast that was Greg.

Venus and Mars managed to distract Greg long enough for Sailor Moon to launch her moon healing attack. Zoicite appeared at that moment to grab the rainbow crystal from the healed Greg, but Tuxedo Mask was too quick and snatched the yellow crystal from the ice first.

"Back off Zoiciter you'll be moondusted," Sailor Moon threatened, inching her hand toward her tiara.

Zoicite just shot her a dirty glare before disappearing into a black sub-space portal, "I'll be back Sailor Brats!" was his parting shot.

The Scouts just rolled their eyes in response. All in all it had been a relatively quick battle and they were grateful Zoicite was a bit of a twit.

"So, we meet again," Tuxedo Mask said, dusting the snow from his tuxedo.

"Yes we do. I suppose we should talk about our objectives here. Mercury, can you take the young man over there back to the hotel while we discuss things with Tuxedo Mask?" Sailor Moon said with authority.

Mercury gave Sailor Moon a grateful look, thankful to be able to take care of her date while he was hurt and weak.

"So, crystals. It seems you now have three and we have two," Jupiter said thoughtfully.

"Yes," Tuxedo Mask replied abruptly, wanting to leave and see if Serena was ok.

Sailor Moon considered the situation for a moment before speaking. "I think things should stay as they are now," she said quietly.

"What do you mean Sailor Moon?" Mars asked, confused.

"If we each hold onto a crystal, then it's less likely that the NegaVerse will be able to get them all at the same time if only one of us holds all the crystals," Sailor Moon explained.

"Brilliant Sailor Moon," Venus said.

"Tuxedo Mask, do you have somewhere else you need to be?" Jupiter suddenly demanded, annoyed that the caped man was shifting on his feet in agitation.

"Yes I do actually," he snapped.

"Really?" Jupiter asked back, nudging Sailor Moon conspiratorially.

"Yes," he stuttered, "I need to continue looking for the princess," he lied. _I have already found her... but they don't need to know that yet. She needs to stay safe and unknown._

"Why, you in love with her or something?" Venus teased.

"Yes," he said with conviction.

Sailor Moon felt as if she had been slapped. She frowned at him, "Ok. So what were you doing with the blonde girl out here then?" she asked carefully.

Tuxedo Mask panicked. He couldn't let anyone know he had feelings for Serena. If the NegaVerse found out then they might try to use her against him for the crystals. He couldn't put her in danger.

"Oh, nothing, she was a bit of a nice distraction," he said as calmly as possible.

Sailor Moon saw red. _A distraction?_

Tuxedo Mask wondered suddenly why Sailor Moon looked murderous while her Scouts gave her anxious looks. He was even more surprised when she stormed up to him, hauled her arm back and punched him on the chin. The hit sent him flying back across the ice and into a snow bank.

"What was that for?!" he shouted angrily, rubbing his chin.

"Grab him," Sailor Moon whispered to the Scouts, and they obeyed without question, racing forward to hold him down.

"What the hell is going on?" he shouted again, held down by Jupiter, Venus and Mars while Sailor Moon stood above him.

"I'm the champion of love and justice, and THAT was a little JUSTICE!" she sneered at him before rifling through his pockets to take the yellow crystal from him.

"What are you DOING?" he cried, struggling to get up but found it useless as the girls held him down still.

"I don't think a heartless JERK like you deserves to hold onto a crystal, let alone a young girl's heart. The crystal I'm taking with me and right at this moment I'm going to go tell the poor girl to stay away from CREEPS LIKE YOU!" Sailor Moon said with scorn. Turning to her Scouts she said "Hold him a minute while I find the girl," and leapt away.

Minutes later, the girls received a beep from their communicator as a sign to release Tuxedo Mask. They quickly leapt away from the cursing hero and made their escape away from the hotel. They would double back later when they were sure he wasn't following them.

Tuxedo Mask for his part was furious at the girls and Sailor Moon for taking the crystals and ruining any chance he had with Serena.

**CHAPTER 9: WHEN ITS OVER**

"Serena, don't you even want to talk about it?" Mina asked her friend softly, sitting down next to her as she sat staring out over the lake.

"No."

"It's been two days."

Serena sighed and got up to walk back to the hotel. Mina walked beside her worried. Serena hadn't even cried, or gotten upset and angry save that one moment when she had punched Tuxedo Mask.

"Mina, it's done and gone. It was my fault in the first place. I left a tiny memory of our kiss left. It's probably the only reason he felt the way he did in the first place," she said miserably.

"It's not your fault. He was an ass."

Serena sniffled, "I know. At least I know the first kiss was really him and how he felt."

Mina hugged her friend as Seiya stepped up. He'd noticed Serena had been quiet lately but hadn't been able to find out what was wrong.

"Hey Serena, can I have a chat to you?" Seiya asked with a soft smile.

"Sure," Serena brightened. Seiya had been there for her and hadn't pried into her feelings, which she was glad for. _He's really quite sweet_, she thought.

"Well, I know that you've been asked to sing at the masked ball, well the manager has asked my band to do a song or two and I was wondering if you wanted to do a duet with me," Seiya asked, hoping against hope she'd say yes.

Serena smiled, she liked the idea. "Of course, it sounds great. Do you have a song in mind?"

"You bet. If you want I can show you now," Seiya grinned, happy that she had agreed.

"Lead the way," Serena giggled, taking the arm he offered.

He sat her down outside on the veranda and pulled some sheet music from his pocket, offering it to her. She flicked her eyes over it and gave a sad smile.

"Is it ok?" Seiya asked with some concern.

Still looking at the music and lyrics her smile brightened, "No, it's perfect."

Darien had meanwhile spent the last few wretched days cursing Sailor Moon and her interference between Tuxedo Mask –him, and Serena. He hadn't been to see her as Tuxedo Mask, too unsure of what his reception would be. But his heart lurched in his chest every time he saw her. He wanted to pull her into his arms and beg forgiveness, to tell her everything, but he just couldn't. She didn't know she was the princess, or that he was Tuxedo Mask and that if she actually did know those two facts that she would be in mortal danger. So when he rounded a corner of the veranda to see her giggling with Seiya over something he couldn't hide the absolute malice he felt toward the guy stealing her attention now.

Seiya had seen Darien and the look he had on his face. Serena was facing him and so hadn't seen Darien at all. It was at that moment that Seiya had a brilliant idea.

"Serena," he whispered, leaning in close to her.

"Yeah?" she said back, leaning in too, wondering why he was acting so secretive.

"I've got an idea on how to make this duet really great..." he said, and whispered his plan.

Serena couldn't help but grin, "Brilliant, but..." she said, whispering something back.

Darien could see from where he was standing that Seiya looked slightly disappointed, but not enough to wipe the clearly victorious look from his face. He wished he had bothered to tune in to what they were saying, but the painful rhythm of his heart attempting to continue beating and live another day had distracted him of late.

"Serena, why are you smiling like that?" Lita demanded, stomping over to Seiya and Serena.

"Just planning a surprise," Serena giggled.

"Uh huh, well come on. We are going snowboarding," Lita said impatiently.

"Sure I'll be right there. Want to join us Seiya?" Serena asked the dark haired young man.

"Would love to," Seiya said, flashing a smile.

"You too Darien," Lita called out to the statue at the end of the veranda as she turned to go back inside.

Darien only glowered, but obediently followed Lita.

.

An hour later the five girls and three guys were snowboarding down a gentle slope. Serena had unsurprisingly fallen over several times and Seiya was only too quick to help her up.

"Hey Ami, how is Greg going?" Raye asked the blue haired girl.

"He's ok. He said he hurt himself falling down a snow slope or something, but the doctor says he will be fine," Ami said, happy that Greg didn't remember his time as a negamonster.

"Hey Serena, how are you going?" Lita asked her friend cautiously.

"Not too well. I keep falling over," Serena said, clearly avoiding the topic.

"That's not what I meant," Lita continued to press her.

Mina placed a hand on Lita's arm to stop her interrogation and shook her head. Lita just nodded and resumed her descent down the hill on her snowboard.

Darien and Seiya had watched the exchange with interest; Seiya wanting to know just what was going on while Darien wanting clues as to Serena's feelings. Both were disappointed to find out nothing from the short conversation.

"Would you two get a room!" Serena rolled her eyes at Andrew and Mina who were cuddling in the snow.

"Jealous!" Mina giggled, poking her tongue out. But stopped when she realised what she had said, "Serena I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I think I'm done for today anyway," Serena sighed.

"I can walk you back?" Seiya offered.

"No its fine, you stay here and have fun," Serena replied, wanting to be alone.

Serena started to walk back toward the hotel, lost in her thoughts when she felt a presence beside her.

"Seiya I said –"

"It's not Seiya," Darien said softly.

"Oh, sorry Darien," Serena mumbled, "You don't have to walk me back."

"It's ok. I don't feel like snowboarding anymore either."

"You haven't felt like much the past few days. What's wrong?"

Darien laughed. "I should ask _you_ what's wrong Serena," he said, gazing intently at her to study her reaction.

"Oh, guys just suck that's all," she muttered as she heaved a sigh.

"Not all of us surely?" Darien queried lightly.

"No, just one."

"Oh," Darien replied, at a loss for words.

They reached the hotel and Darien was surprised when Serena suddenly turned and hugged him tightly. It was a moment before he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her golden hair.

"Serena..." Darien started to say before he noticed she was staring off into space. "Serena? Are you ok?"

She didn't respond or seem to hear him. She was clearly focussed on something in front of her but there was nothing in front of her to see. So it shocked Darien when she reached her hand out to nothingness and whispered brokenly, "Don't go."

.

Serena was glad that Darien had walked with her. The girls had been pestering her to talk to them and she hadn't felt like talking to anyone. Darien on the other hand felt a bit like a calming presence, so she'd hugged him to thank him for just being there. But somewhere along the way she'd fallen into a vision of a dark haired man in a black suit of strange armour. He promised he would return, holding back tears. She'd felt herself crying silent tears as her hand reached out to touch his cheek and beg him one last time... "Don't go."

.

"Serena?"

Someone was shaking her slightly and she blinked rapidly as the world came back into focus and she found herself looking into deep blue eyes.

"Darien?" she mumbled somewhat incoherently.

"You went all weird there," he frowned.

"I did?" she asked quizzically. She hadn't realised she had acted out her vision.

"Yeah, you reached out your hand and said 'don't go'."

She frowned at him. "That's odd. I think I might have had too much snow for today. I think I'll just go rest for a while," she murmured, turning away from him and heading upstairs to her bedroom.

Darien watched her go, wondering what had just happened.

**CHAPTER 10: THE MASKED BALL: PART 1**

**It ends with a kiss**

The days passed by relatively quickly in a flurry of excitement. The hotel manager had ordered the entire bottom floor of the hotel to be completely done up Venetian style and could always be seen racing around shouting orders and checking the decorations. The masked ball was to be a huge event for the hotel, and many prominent business persons had arrived specifically to enjoy the night's entertainment.

"Did you hear that they are going to have a geisha present tonight?!" Mina squealed.

"You're kidding!" Lita gaped, wishing she could be as pretty and graceful as the mysterious women.

"Hey guys," Serena said happily, joining them as they prepared for tonight's event.

"Where have _you_ been Serena?" Raye asked teasingly, knowing full well that Serena had been with Seiya. The girl had spent a _lot _of time with the young man lately, and Raye wondered if he wasn't just the guy to take her friend's mind off Tuxedo Mask.

"With Seiya practicing," Serena replied nonchalantly.

"Ohhh," Mina purred, "You know Sere, you have been spending an _awful_ lot of time with him."

Serena smiled but shrugged, "Yeah. He's a nice guy."

The girls gave each other knowing glances, each thinking the same thing Raye had only a moment earlier.

"Ok, all done. Are we ready to go? Amy said cheerfully

"You guys go, I just have to fix my makeup," Serena replied. She watched as the door clicked shut before letting out the sigh she had been holding in.

"Serena," his voice came to her as he stepped inside the room from the balcony.

She closed her eyes, willing herself to be anywhere but where she was right now. "Go. Away," she said with quiet resignation.

"No."

"Fine. What do you want?"

"To talk."

"Ah I see, I am your distraction between now and whoever it is you have planned later. No thank you. Leave."

Tuxedo Mask blanched at the finality in her voice, but took a step toward her. "Please, let me explain..."

"There is nothing to explain. In fact it doesn't matter. That night I was going to tell you we couldn't see each other again anyway. That it wouldn't have worked out," she said softly.

Tuxedo Mask felt the air whoosh out him. She had been going to tell him it was over? Before it had even begun? He stepped back from her feeling like he had just been punched in the gut. He nodded to her once before disappearing over her balcony and into the night, never seeing the single tear that curved down her cheek.

.

"Are you ready Serena?" Seiya asked Serena.

She smiled brightly at him, "I am."

"We are going to blow them away," he smiled at her.

She only nodded as they stepped onto the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, for your entertainment, a duet," the host introduced them.

A soft guitar solo introduced the song and a spotlight fixed itself on Serena. She closed her eyes, wishing for the strength to sing this song, let it all out and let it all go. The guitar solo finished, cueing her in to sing; she took a deep breath and began to pour her heart out:

_If you see him/If you see her – Reba McEntire with Brookes & Dunn_

_If you see him, tell him I wish him well. How I'm doing? Well sometimes it's hard to tell_

_I still miss him more than ever, but please don't say a word, if you see him... if you see him_

Serena's friend gasped, knowing the feeling behind the song. Their friend looked lovely tonight dressed in a figure-hugging shimmering blue dress with her hair cascading down her back. Darien, who had been sitting morosely in the dark corner of the table perked up when he heard the song and saw her on stage, emotions running rampant across her face.

_I still have a chance..._ he thought with some hope.

The spotlight suddenly cued on Seiya who was dressed smartly in black leather pants and a black top. He strummed a guitar and sung the second part of the verse:

_If you see her, tell her I'm doing fine. And if you want to, tell her I think of her from time to time,_

_Ask her if she ever wonders, where we both went wrong, if you see her... if you see her_

Seiya stood up and walked to Serena as they went into the chorus. She looked up at him, their voices joining in perfect unison.

"They sound perfect together," Mina whispered to Raye who nodded. Darien only scowled at the comment, his dark eyes watching the pair on the stage.

Seiya had meanwhile discarded the guitar he was playing as they harmonised the end of the chorus:

_Oh I don't know why we let eachother go..._

Seiya gracefully scooped Serena into his arms and led her into a romantic waltz during the guitar solo. She let him lead gracefully, her eyes closed, and somewhere she felt Seiya lift her into the air as he spun her around before returning her to the floor... very close to him.

Darien seethed silently in his chair at the display.

Seiya began to sing the last few bars. Serena left him and began to walk up a staircase to the one side of the stage. Seiya did the same, walking to a staircase on the other side of the stage.

_And even if it takes forever, say I'll still be here_, they sung.

The pair reached the top of the stairs to find each other again. Taking her hand in his, they sung the last two lines to the song:

_If you see him..._

_If you see her..._

The music softened and the lights dimmed as Seiya gently took Serena in his arms and dipped her low, his dark head coming down toward hers... the lights continued to dim as Seiya moved closer and closer to Serena's lips.

Darien felt time stand still as he waited for his hear to stop beating the moment their lips touched. Because he knew he would die of heartbreak if it happened. But the moment never came because the lights dimmed completely and he was glad that he was unable to see Seiya finally close the distance between himself and Serena to kiss her gently on her soft, full mouth.

**CHAPTER 11: THE MASKED BALL PART 2**

**It's all coming back to me now**

Seiya finished the dip and lifted Serena back up so she was standing straight. She brushed herself off, a small smile playing on her lips, proud of herself tonight for throwing herself into the song. She needed that, she needed to let go of all the painful feelings, and now she felt much better and ready to face the world again.

"That was brilliant you two! Marvellous!" the host congratulated them, shaking their hands.

Serena thanked him before leaving to go to her room to change into her outfit. Arriving at her room she quickly donned the royal blue gown and the silver heels. She styled her hair into a high ponytail, spritzing it with silver hair spray, causing her golden locks to shimmer silver. Lastly, she donned her mask and looked at herself sternly in the mirror.

"You are now over him Serena. Over. Him," she commanded herself. Satisfied, she left the room toward the masquerade party taking place down the stairs.

.

Darien cursed silently. He had retreated to a quiet corner hidden by shadow to hide the murderous thoughts he was having, even behind his black mask. He suddenly felt her enter the room, _knew_ she was there.

_Damn propriety and damn everything. I won't let her go without a fight_.

Slipping outside and quickly assuring himself no one was around, he transformed into Tuxedo Mask. He took a deep breath, steadying himself for what he was about to do. He slipped quietly back inside the glass doors and immediately saw her. She had on a royal blue dress and her hair was silvered, but it was her. He formed a rose within his cloak, and flung it at her feet, a challenge and a dare to face him.

.

Serena looked at the blood red rose implanted in the floor at her feet. She inhaled sharply and looked up to see _him_. How could she miss him when he stood only a few feet away, a statue of perfection, and she closed her eyes to block his image from her mind, _You. Are. Over. Him._ She opened her eyes only to find herself being impaled by his midnight blue gaze only centimetres away.

"That was a nice performance tonight Serena," he said, his voice taking on a dangerously silky tone.

She tilted her head up to him, narrowing her eyes, _How dare he speak to me this way after what he said_.

"Yes, I _enjoyed_ it very much," she purred back and made to turn away from him.

He was too quick, grasping her hand in his and spinning her around with a force such that she fell against his hard chest. She stifled a groan, hating her attraction to the jerk.

"Dance with me." It was a command, not a request. As if fate had intervened itself, Celine Dion's voice rang out over the speakers as the DJ played _It's all coming back_.

.

Pluto stirred at the gate, fretting. Something was happening and she didn't like it when the timeline blurred. She found the source of the upset and widened her eyes, realising what was about to happen.

She swore.

.

Serena felt herself pulled onto the dance floor, unwilling to go but unable to leave. Soft piano music began and she found herself hauled up against Tuxedo Mask. She looked up into his eyes, dark and furious. Possessive. He stepped forward, forcing her body back as he led her in a tango. She didn't know how or why but her body followed his like she was born to dance with him. He wasn't rough in his movements, but very determined. She shivered as he gently ran a gloved hand along her cheek as the song softened before twisting her suddenly in a turn as the music swelled.

She lost herself in the music, her body moving of its own accord in a rhythm a thousand years old. He deliberately held her close to him, forcing her to acknowledge his absolute presence before her. The music softened again, and he slowed them to a stop. He looked at her, pain in his eyes and she stared back unable to move as he descended his dark head to hers and captured her lips in a kiss.

Serena gasped at the sudden contact and Tuxedo Mask took full advantage of it to immediately deepen the kiss. He suddenly broke off the kiss and sent her into a quick spin on the dance floor before pulling her tightly to him. She found herself with her eyes half open as the passion of the dance assaulted her senses. She felt the possessiveness of Tuxedo Mask for her and it frightened and thrilled her at the same time. The feeling evoked a the half-remembered vision of the man she'd seen as she had sung with Mina a week ago. She gasped, and suddenly the world _lurched_ as she was thrown headlong into a terrifying vision.

.

Tuxedo Mask watched as Serena's expression went from hunted to terrified, and he suddenly regretted his brazen dance with her. He had been so desperate for her that he had acted incredibly jealously and possessively.

"Serena?" he asked with gentle uncertainty, lifting her head so she would face him.

He was surprised to see her staring straight through him, and even more surprised when she whispered "Endymion!" and ran out of the ballroom. He stood there a moment, too shocked by her sudden change before mentally cursing and chasing after her. Something was wrong, very wrong.

.

Mina had been in the bathroom freshening up when her heart lurched in her chest painfully. She doubled over, her fist over her heart, groaning with the painful impact. Without warning she found herself transformed into Sailor Venus, and was glad when the pain lessened in her super-heroine form. She followed the trail of heartache with her senshei ability, and gaped when she realised just who had sent the powerful beacon out into the night.

"Princess!" she gasped, running out of the bathroom and toward the place where she felt the link taking her.

.

Tuxedo Mask followed Serena as she fled upstairs to her room. He found her standing in the middle of the room, looking about her desperately, searching.

"What are YOU doing here?" Sailor Venus cried, crashing through the door.

"Something is wrong with Serena! She's hallucinating or something!" he shouted back, his fear evident in his voice.

A portal opened near Serena and Tuxedo Mask quickly flung a steel-tipped rose, determined to prevent any intruder from entering and endangering Serena. He gaped however when the rose stopped in mid-air, and a green haired woman with a long staff exited the portal in a Sailor Scout fuka. She looked mildly familiar to him.

"Damn it!" the green haired woman growled, casting her staff above her which in turn rotated rapidly, causing a light green bubble to flow from above it and surround them in the room.

"WHATS GOING ON?" Tuxedo Mask roared.

"She's having a vision, and this is a time shield. Everywhere but here time has stopped. Do not worry, I am here to protect the princess. The psychic signals she was sending out would have attracted the NegaVerse easily had I not shielded her," the woman explained impatiently.

"The princess!" Sailor Venus gasped, looking reverently at her friend who was crying silent tears as she desperately searched about her for something.

Tuxedo Mask opened his mouth to demand more answers when the world _lurched_ about him, causing him to almost lose his balance. He looked and saw Sailor Venus and the green haired woman feel the same thing, and realised that it was Serena causing the ruckus.

The world _lurched_ again and Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Venus plunged headlong into Serena's vision. The guardian of time and space held her ground, able to watch the vision from outside the terror within.

.

"_Endymion! Where are you!" Serena cried. _

_There was destruction all around her, cries of hatred and pain as the fighting intensified. The Earth was attacking the Moon Kingdom. She was frightened as although she knew how to use the Silver Crystal to protect herself, her mother was the one who held its awesome power right now, trying to stave off the attack._

"_Endymion!" she screamed his name._

_Her mother had told her to stay in the palace where she would be protected, but Endymion was outside. She had to find him, regardless. Stumbling out of her room she slammed back into a wall as a blast knocked her sideways. She whimpered, but got up to continue her search._

"_Serenity!" Endymion cried, holding her small form against his black armour._

"_I was so scared Endymion, I had to find you. I love you!" she sobbed._

"_I love you too but you have to get back inside, I can't fight knowing you are in danger," he said as he began to herd her back inside._

"_Too late!" a cackle came from behind them._

_Endymion stood in front of Serenity, shielding her from the wrath of the flame-haired monster that was Beryl._

"_Endymion, darling why don't you come join me?" Beryl purred._

"_Never, you old and bitter snake!" he spat at her._

_She narrowed her eyes and screamed at him viciously, "If I cannot have you then none shall!"_

_A beam of green light from Beryl forced Endymion from the ground and began to drag him toward a large black hole that had been swallowing the dead and dying soldiers._

"_Serenity run!" Endymion cried._

"_No! I won't leave you!" Serena cried back, racing toward him._

_Evil power crackled throughout Endymion's body as the evil entity Metallia tortured him._

.

_Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Venus watched the scene unfold before them in horror. They heard an inhuman scream and realised that it was Serena who had leapt from the balcony after her dying lover._

"_NO!" Sailor Venus and Tuxedo Mask cried as Metallia cackled and took Serena into her power, torturing the young woman with the same evil power she had used on Endymion._

"_Serenity," Endymion whispered._

"_Endymion love," Serena whispered back._

_They stretched their hands weakly toward each other, but the strain was too much for their dying bodies and their hands never touched as they fell limply back, falling into the dark abyss of death._

.

The vision ended suddenly and Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Venus dropped to their knees on the floor. They looked up weakly to see the green haired woman pick Serena up and lay her gently on the bed, smoothing her hand over the unconscious blonde's forehead.

"What was that?" Sailor Venus gasped.

"Her memories are being triggered," the woman replied simply.

"By what?" Tuxedo Mask exclaimed with a cough.

"The crystals, the more you have the more she will remember."

"How?"

"The crystals are a part of her very soul. She is bonded to them," the green haired woman explained.

"But she doesn't have any crystals," Tuxedo Mask said with confusion, rising to his feet.

"Her allies do," the woman stated, "She is connected deeply with you," she said, looking at both Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Venus. "She is your past, present and future, just as you both are hers. She will not remember tonight. I have limited ability but I have sealed the memory for now. It would not do for her to remember such a powerful event. I have never myself felt such strong psychic waves, the pain for her to remember the death of her lover must have been unbearable..." her voice trailed off.

"Her lover?" Tuxedo Mask croaked.

"Yes, her soul mate, her true love," she said softly. She knew very well who the man was in front of her, but refused to give anymore away than what had already been revealed tonight.

"What do we do now?" Sailor Venus whispered in shock at the realisation that Serena, Sailor Moon, was her princess.

"Tell no one. Find the crystals. I do not think she will have another episode like this. It was only the power of the memory that forced me to act to protect her this way, and I do not think other memories that come to her will be so painful as to evoke something like tonight again," the woman said with a frown, "But I will always be watching, just in case."

She flicked a glance to the princess' unconscious form on the bed, sorrow welling in her heart for her queen. She sighed and turned back to Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Venus.

"I go now; when I leave, time will resume. Protect her at all costs. Without her we are doomed," she commanded.

"What about the other scouts?" Sailor Venus asked softly, the shock emanating over her in waves.

"Tell no one," was her only reply. The woman disappeared and with her the green shield around them. Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Venus looked at each other, wondering what the other was doing there.

"What are you doing here?" they blurted out together.

Tuxedo Mask sighed, "I was dancing with her when she fell into some sort of trance. She ran away and I followed."

Sailor Venus sighed with understanding. "I was in the bathroom and found myself pulled by her heart's scream. I've never felt anything that powerful," she said with quiet awe. She turned to him, "So you really were telling the truth when you said you loved the princess. You knew it didn't you?"

Tuxedo Mask sighed, it didn't matter anymore now that Sailor Venus knew, "Yes. I did."

"Uh huh," Sailor Venus said mysteriously.

"Are you going to tell the other scouts?"

She shook her head, "You heard what that woman said. I don't know her but she protected the princess. I will do as she said and tell no one, even the scouts."

"Not even your leader, Sailor Moon?"

She shook her head again, whispering, "Especially not her."

**CHAPTER 12: THE RIDE HOME**

Serena woke up feeling... different.

_What's going on? Everything feels different... weird. _

She looked around the room. Everything looked the same, but it wasn't. Something stirred in her heart, a flicker of recognition. But of what, or perhaps who? She shook her head, everything felt fuzzy.

"Hey Sere you sleepy head, I've packed your stuff and we are leaving in half an hour. Get up, get dressed and lets go," Mina said brightly, standing over her.

"Uh, ok Mina," Serena murmured with a small smile.

Mina regarded her friend carefully, "Sere, do you know what happened last night?"

"Well... now that you mention it, no I don't."

Mina sighed and sat on the bed, "You were dancing with Tuxedo Mask. You must have fainted. He brought you here," Mina lied. Truth be told Sailor Venus had told Tuxedo Mask that she knew Serena's friend's and would allay any suspicion. He'd been loath to accept the plan, but she had convinced him in the end that it would be better coming from a Sailor Scout than the cad who had hurt their friend. He'd only grunted his response before leaping from the balcony into the night.

"I was? I was!" she said, remembering the intense dance. Serena sighed, "I probably got all worked up over just being near him. I told myself I was over him, but it's obvious that I still need my head examined."

"Sere, don't be hard on yourself. You're a wonderful girl who puts her heart and soul into everything and everyone. Don't ever change," Mina said, hugging her friend fiercely.

"Ok..." Serena said, wondering why her friend was acting so strangely.

"Alright then, up you get and get dressed. We will be having breakfast at one of those road-stops, pancakes and muffins I'm told," Mina grinned.

"Ok, I'll be down in five minutes, 'kay?" Serena replied happily, the thought of breakfast taking her mind off the events of last night.

Getting dressed quickly she hurried downstairs to find Seiya waiting for her.

"Morning Seiya," she greeted him.

"Morning Serena, how are you this morning? Your friend Mina explained that you fell ill last night. I missed you at the ball," he said, concern lacing his voice.

"Yeah, I feel fine now. I don't really remember fainting but there you go, most people probably wouldn't," she babbled, _Geez I'm such a loser carrying on like this_, she thought.

"I'm glad you are ok now," Seiya smiled warmly. The young man cleared his throat, "I uh, have something for you," he said, handing Serena a small gift-wrapped box.

"Wow, thanks Seiya, that's very nice of you," she said, opening the box to find a diamante-encrusted mobile phone. She looked at him quizzically.

Seiya blushed slightly, "My band has signed a record contract and we are going overseas for a little while to do some recording. I just wanted to give you this so that we can still catch up, you know," he said boyishly, running a nervous hand across the back of his neck.

"It's too nice of you Seiya," Serena admonished.

"Nonsense. You're a lovely girl Serena and I'd like to continue getting to know you," he smiled.

"Me too Seiya. You aren't so bad yourself," she grinned, punching him lightly in the arm.

"Serena, come ON!" her mother called her from the car.

"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you," Serena said, giving Seiya a quick hug goodbye before shooting off toward the car.

"Goodbye Serena," Seiya whispered softly, hoping he would see her again soon.

"Hey Serena, you'll be riding in Andrew's car with your friends. Mina begged us to let you ride with them, so we'll be taking all the luggage while you girls go with the boys," Ikuko smiled at her daughter.

Serena squealed with delight, "Thanks mum!" before running off to hop into the station wagon with her four giggling friends.

.

An hour later, after much giggling and gossip, Lita was the first girl to lose her patience.

"So Serena," she said, wiggling her eyebrows, "That was some kiss with Seiya last night," she grinned, elbowing Mina.

"Yeah," Raye piped up, "You saucy minx."

Serena blushed bright red. Noone noticed Darien's hold on the arm rest in the front seat tighten as he tried to control his jealousy.

"Well," Serena said quietly, "We didn't actually kiss."

"WHAT!" the four girls screamed.

"Whoa! Volume down back there!" Andrew cried, his ears ringing from the shrieks.

"What do you mean, you didn't actually kiss?" Lita demanded.

"Well, we only made it look like we did. If you remember the lights went off at the end so you couldn't see what was happening because there really wasn't anything to see," she giggled.

"WHY didn't you kiss him? Serena are you crazy, he's in a band, he's gorgeous and you had every chance!" Lita cried bitterly.

_Well he wanted to... _ Serena thought, remembering their talk on the veranda the day he originally came up with the idea.

"Because I'm not a hentai like YOU LITA!" she teased.

.

Darien smiled at the giggling girls as relief washed over him. _She hadn't kissed him after all_. But she had kissed Tuxedo Mask. Hope lifted his heart, but it soon faded when he remembered the vision. Serena had loved, and loved deeply in her life as Princess Serenity. Even though she wasn't Serenity now, Serenity was a part of her, which meant those feelings were still there. He wondered briefly if this Prince Endymion had been reborn too, and at that moment hoped against hope that he hadn't. If he had been reborn, how could he, Darien, come between Serena and the man she had loved with all her soul so long ago? How could he deny that soul-bond? her. He was fairly certain that Prince Endymion had been reborn along with Serenity, she had herself implied it when she said that their love needed to be reborn along with them. He sighed again. He cursed Serenity for asking him to love Serena, to protect

_Love just gets more and more complicated_... he thought sadly.

**EPILOGUE**

Serena stared out the window aimlessly at the landscape. She had assured the girls that she was alright and had probably only fainted; nothing unusual for a klutz like her. But she still felt in her heart that flicker of recognition of something or someone. She had felt the same when she and Mina had sung that duet. It was the reason she couldn't just let Seiya kiss her.

Her thoughts flickered back a few weeks, and she remembered telling Darien once that she felt like she was always meant for one person and them alone. Now she felt it even more so in her heart. She felt for her locket that was in her bag, grasping its cool presence in her warm hand.

_Together again someday_, the inscription in it had read. It suddenly held more meaning for some reason.

Serena smiled and closed her eyes, half remembering a time when a prince and princess had promised each other everlasting love. She yawned, thinking that her friends had the right idea – as each of them had fallen asleep over each other during the long car ride home.

"Endymion," she whispered absently and without knowing the word had escaped her lips as she fell back against the seat into a restful slumber.

The dark haired man sitting in front of her had however heard the whispered sigh, and he closed his eyes to hide the flash of pain searing his heart.


	5. SME Part 5: Fated

Disclaimer:

I dont own Sailor Moon at all. Not even one DVD.

This is the fifth instalment to the Sailor Moon Exposed story.

**FATED**

_The story thus far..._

_In Sailor Moon Exposed, Tuxedo Mask discovers Sailor Moon's secret identity by accident one night as he follows the injured Champion of Love and Justice home. He is still uncertain about her identity because the next day she, Serena, is just fine. His suspicions are however confirmed when the heroine is injured terribly again when the effort of maintaining her glamour is too much and Sailor Moon is exposed well and truly as Serena Tsukino. Serena is terrified, not knowing who Tuxedo Mask is or what he may do to her or her family. Tuxedo Mask meanwhile finds himself wanting to meet the heroine to 'talk it out', only he has a surprise coming. He kidnaps her and takes her to the Tokyo Gardens, followed by the Sailor Scout. A stolen kiss later Sailor Moon wipes his memories of ever finding out her secret identity... just when he realises that she is the Princess he was looking for!_

_In Remember Me This Way, the planet of time and space, Pluto, aligns with Earth. When the moon rises Serena's hidden consciousness of Serenity awakens in her mind, and she wants to see Endymion! For a few precious nights she calls Darien to her in the Tokyo Gardens while Serena's consciousness is asleep. The very last night, the night of the full moon, Darien's Princess Serenity is revealed to be Serena._

_In Darien Falls In Love, Darien remembers Serenity's plea to him to love and protect Serena. Thinking falling in love is going to be easy, Darien is unpleasantly surprised to find out that its not that easy to fall in love. But love sneaks up on him in the form of Serena's true inner beauty and loving heart and he finds himself completely, utterly, impossibly, unbelievably in love._

_In Young Hearts Darien faces off against his love rival Seiya for Serena's affections. But Darien is too shy to approach her as himself and instead goes to her as Tuxedo Mask, feeling more confident behind the facade. Yet Tuxedo Mask makes a fatal mistake when, while protecting Serena from potential danger, he lies about his feelings for her to the Sailor Scouts! Sailor Moon 'tells' Serena about Tuxedo Mask, but even when he goes to apologise she tells him it never would have worked and she was going to tell him that they couldn't see eachother again. Crushed, he walks away. His possessive instincts however kick in when he witnesses Seiya kiss Serena after performing a duet together. He claims her in his arms for a passionate tango only to have Serena fall into a vision of her past life. He and Sailor Venus find her in her room and are pulled into the vision by the power of her psychic screams and see her and her lover Endymion die at the hands of Beryl and Metallia. Sailor Pluto warns them not to tell anyone of her identity, even the other scouts! The story ends with Darien feeling confused and threatened by Serena's past lover Endymion, and his own heart crushed when he hears her whisper Endymion's name in her sleep._

_The story continues the week after the events of the Masked Ball in Fated._

**CHAPTER 1: THINGS HAVE CHANGED**

"I didn't need YOUR help!" Sailor Moon hissed at Tuxedo Mask through gritted teeth. The moondusted remains of the latest youma to hit Tokyo had barely had time to settle on the ground before Sailor Moon had turned on the handsome hero who had saved her from a nasty hit only moments ago.

"Well maybe next time I should let you get hit you stubborn _interfering_ girl!" Tuxedo Mask sneered back, his anger at Sailor Moon still fresh after she had only two weeks ago ruined his chances with Serena.

"I'm GLAD I interfered! At least the poor girl was saved from falling any further in love with you, JERK!" Sailor Moon growled angrily, poking Tuxedo Mask in the chest with a gloved finger.

Anger radiated from the hero as he and Sailor Moon glared daggers at each other. He at her for her meddling in his blossoming relationship with Serena, and her at him because she was said girl who had heard the hero swear she was only a nice distraction for him.

"Bah! What would you know!" he growled back, turning abruptly and disappearing with a leap into the night.

"Way to go Moon, you tell him," Jupiter said, clapping her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Thanks Jupiter," Sailor Moon smiled, "Well, time to go girls. Goodnight," she said with a wave.

Sailor Moon started on her way home, only to realise that she was being followed. Ever since her secret identity had been revealed to Tuxedo Mask months ago (though she had used her moon wand to make him forget), she had been extra careful to make sure it stayed secret now.

"Who's there?" she demanded of the shadowy figure following her.

"It's me," Sailor Venus said, stepping into the light.

"Oh, V, what's up?" Sailor Moon asked quizzically.

"You shouldn't be so hard on Tuxedo Mask. I know you probably don't want to hear this but he cares about you a lot. He was scared for you when you had that vi – I mean fainting spell at the masked ball," Sailor Venus pleaded with her friend.

"Yeah sure, his _distraction_," Sailor Moon said venomously.

"No Sailor Moon, I think it's more. Give him a chance. Please? Trust me I'm the Senshei of Love!" Sailor Venus smiled at her friend.

Sailor Moon eyed her warily before muttering, "Alright."

Sailor Venus grinned happily, "Night Moon," she said as she leapt away into the night.

Sailor Moon only grumbled her goodnight to Sailor Venus before continuing on her way home.

.

**A week later...**

Darien sighed into his coffee at the Arcade. The NegaVerse had attacked almost every night since they has returned from holidays and he was tired. Tuxedo Mask he might be but he was also college student Darien Chiba and that part of him happened to need a bit of sleep every now and then.

He sighed again. It hadn't helped that after one of the run-ins with a youma he had run into Serena as Tuxedo Mask. He'd asked her what she was doing out so late at night and she'd told him she could take care of herself thank-you-very-much.

"Hey Serena," he heard Andrew say as the Arcade doors slid open. "How are you? You look tired."

Darien tightened his grip on his coffee. He'd decided it would be best if he no longer sought Serena out as Tuxedo Mask. Firstly, she would be in danger obviously if the NegaVerse saw him with her on a regular basis. Secondly, he'd totally struck out with her. Nevertheless he was proud of her, though it hurt. She had made a really mature decision when she had said it wouldn't work out and it had only made him love her more.

"Hi Andrew, that's because I am. You know me, school's back in and I'm spacing out," she smiled wanly in reply.

"Do you want your favourite?" Andrew offered enticingly.

"Actually, can I just have a juice? I need something more sustaining than a sugar high."

Darien nearly spat out his coffee while Andrew burnt his hand on the coffee pot.

Serena smiled at the two before her. She'd felt different since returning from holidays and couldn't tell if it was the fact that she had been a woman scorned and could now count herself as having had her first heart break, or if it was perhaps something else. Either way, she liked that she felt a little bit more mature. It made her feel less gawky.

"Can I take that to go as well Andrew? I wanted to go to the park and feed the ducks."

"Sure Serena, coming right up."

Serena twiddled her thumbs and glanced about her absently. She was slightly surprised Darien hadn't actually teased her all that harshly since the holidays. But then again they had sort of struck up a tentative friendship. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. She smiled to herself. Now she could at least enjoy his handsome face rather than forcing herself to forget his midnight blue eyes while screaming her own offended response to him.

Darien surveyed Serena's smile from behind the rim of his coffee mug. It was hard to believe that she had rejected Tuxedo Mask, something that bruised his ego a bit. He _was_ the hero of Tokyo – what girl _would_ reject him? He smiled to himself. It only made him love her more that she was so down to earth.

_How did I never notice it before?_

He saw Andrew hand her the juice and watched her go.

_Dammit Darien, get some dutch courage and DO something_, the little voice said, giving him a mental shove.

Darien didn't need to be told twice, the push was all he needed to bid Andrew goodbye and walk as quickly as he could out the doors.

"Hey Serena, meatball head, wait up!" he called to the blonde.

She rolled her eyes, "Yes oh-maleficent-one?" she said, sipping on her juice.

"Oh big word there meatball head, I see you have been studying," Darien teased.

She quirked an eyebrow, her face said it all, _What do you want?_

"I thought I would walk with you. It's a nice day," Darien smiled at her, quirking his own eyebrow in response to her.

_Damn he's hot_, she thought, quickly turning her head so he wouldn't notice her slight blush.

"Ok. But you have to buy me an ice-cream for calling me meatball head. It's a fitting apology," she sniffed, teasing him.

Darien smiled, "Done."

**CHAPTER 2: THE LADY HAS SPOKEN**

"Triple chocolate fudge sundae with peanut sprinkles please," Serena cooed politely to the ice cream attendant at the park.

"Geez Serena, don't hold back," Darien teased beside her.

Serena shrugged, "Some of us like to enjoy life, and buy a new non-green jacket once in a while," she smirked playfully, taking her sundae from the hands of the attendant. She walked a few metres away to find a nice spot on the grass in the sun. The pair sat there, Serena ploughing into her sundae with enthusiasm while midnight blue eyes snuck glances at the blonde, his thoughts consuming him for the moment.

_I wonder if I have any chance with her. I know she is meant to have had this great love, but that was another life ago. But even if I did have a chance, I wonder if I would live long enough to assure her I really care if she ever found out I was Tuxedo Mask? Would she walk away again? Is it fair of me to even pursue her knowing she rejected Tuxedo Mask? But then again, even Serenity told me to pursue her... her own subconscious memory is egging me on... which is really odd._

Darien frowned, his thoughts leading him into a complex maze of information that left him in a bit of a conundrum as to what to think. He sighed, how much easier it would have been if Serena didn't have a past life. But then again, he never would have met Serenity and never would have fallen in love with her... or would he?

Darien sighed again, _There is no use wondering about what if's... seeing as the here and now is what I have to work with._

His thoughts were interrupted by Serena who, having finished the ice cream, lay back happily on the grass to watch the clouds go by.

"What are you doing?" she heard Darien ask her.

"Watching the clouds," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh," he said, and lay down beside her. He peeked at her out of the corner of his eye, enchanted by the blonde hair that played about her face in the breeze. He turned his gaze to the clouds and wondered at his complicated situation. His brain suddenly clicked onto an idea, and he smiled at the simplicity of it.

"Serena?" Darien said, turning his head to face her.

"Yeah?" she replied absently, still staring into the sky.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Could I stop you?" she teased with a grin.

She heard Darien chuckle softly beside her.

"I have a problem Serena."

"I know, that green jacket just has to go."

"Meatball head that's not it. I like a girl."

"So...?" Serena asked, thinking that the cloud above her looked suspiciously like a bunny if you just looked at it at the right angle.

"Are you listening?"

"Yes, go on Darien, though I'm not seeing the problem. You're cute and smart. Just ask her out, she'll probably gag herself silly slobbering over you before managing to say yes," Serena said, giggling at the thought.

"I always knew you thought I was cute meatball head."

"You're annoying but I'm not blind Darien."

"Then you must have been running into me _on purpose_," he purred, leaning in to breath the last two word into her ear.

She giggled at the tickling sensation, but stuck her tongue out at him, "I'm still not seeing the problem Darien."

"Well you see, she is sort of... um... how do I put this... I think she likes another guy."

"Is she dating him?" Serena said with a frown, she didn't like the idea of breaking up a couple just over a crush. It wasn't right.

"No... not yet. But I think it's almost certain that they will one day get together. They have a history of sorts, you know?"

"I see. So she isn't with him. I still don't see the problem."

"Well... I don't know if I should... you know..." Darien heard Serena chuckle and threw her a pained look, "You know you could be more helpful you know."

"I know but it's funny to see you all worked up. You are usually Mister Cool, Calm and Collected."

"She's different."

"Well then there is your answer. Go for her."

"But what about the other guy?"

"Nothing is written in stone Darien. So what if they have a history, the point is whether she has a future with him, or with you," Serena said sagely as she squinted her eyes at a cloud that looked almost like a milkshake and fries. She could really go for a milkshake right now.

Darien smiled at the girl lying on the grass beside him. The lady had spoken, he could only act accordingly.

"So are you going to go for her?" Serena asked, turning her head to look at him.

He gazed into her pale blue eyes framed beautifully by golden wisps of silk. "I think I am," he said with a secret smile.

**CHAPTER 3: A RIVAL RETURNS**

**Three weeks later...**

"Serena, you know you've been spending an _awful_ lot of time with Darien lately," Raye teased her friend. They were sitting at a booth at the Arcade. It was a Saturday and the girls were enjoying a big lunch. Serena of course had ordered enough food for two lunches for herself.

Serena only blushed slightly, looking down at her food. She and Darien had spent a lot of time together the last few weeks. Not overly so, but the fact that they had seen each other a couple times a week without arguing (much) was a lot considering they had been at each other's throats before.

Serena sighed, "I know, but it's not what you think. He likes this other girl."

"How do you know?" Lita asked, taking a bite out of a hamburger.

"He told me a few weeks ago when we were at the park. Said that he liked her but thought she liked another guy. That doesn't really sound like me does it?"

"Yeah, but if he likes her then what is he doing hanging out with you?" Mina observed, taking a delicate sip of her milkshake.

"Who wouldn't want to hang out with Serena?" a male voice interrupted their conversation.

"Seiya!" Serena cried happily, leaping out of the booth to give him a hug.

"Hey Serena, missed me I see," Seiya grinned, hugging her back.

She stepped back and smiled at him, "How could I with all the text messages you sent me? It's like you were never gone."

"I'll take that as a compliment, I think," Seiya grinned, taking a seat with the girls.

"So what have you been up to Seiya?" Ami asked politely.

"Recording music for the past few weeks, meeting important people, trying to get our name out there..." Seiya explained with a sigh, "It's been a lot of work but me and the guys are excited just to get a foot in the door."

.

At that moment another door slid open and Darien stepped into the Arcade. He scanned the Arcade and saw Serena with the girls... and Seiya. He stopped, shocked to see the young man again and scowled. Pretending he hadn't seen the group he strolled up to the counter and took his usual seat.

"Andrew-"

"Coffee, I know Darien," Andrew grinned.

Darien sighed. With Seiya back he would certainly now be competing for Serena's time and attention. _The guy couldn't have stayed away for just a few more weeks... but then who could stay away from Serena? I can't blame him... much..._ he thought to himself, staring down at the counter.

"Darien, talk," Andrew commanded, handing him his coffee.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not stupid. Spill. I know you like Serena. So who is the guy?" Andrew stated simply, cleaning a milkshake glass.

Darien sighed, "How long have you known?"

"I guessed it when I saw you dancing with her at the Talent Contest. You were all 'hungry-eyes'," Andrew grinned, singing the last two words.

"I wish I had something to throw at you right now," Darien muttered.

Andrew's grin only widened, "Well, who's the guy?"

"Seiya," Darien said as if the very name tasted bad in his mouth.

"The guy from the hotel?" Andrew asked, shocked.

"Yeah, him," Darien glowered.

"Does she like him?" Andrew asked, sneaking a peek over Darien's shoulder at the group in the booth.

"I don't know. She spent a lot of time with him at the hotel. They did a duet together..."

"They _didn't _kiss at the end though, if I remember correctly," Andrew said pointedly.

Darien smiled, _I've kissed her... but only as Tuxedo Mask._

_._

"Hey Serena, isn't that _Darien_ over there," Mina giggled behind her milkshake.

Serena looked toward the counter, "Yeah it is. He must not have seen us."

"So what are you two doing _today_?" Lita teased.

"No plans _Lita_," Serena gritted back, trying to stop the blush coming to her cheeks.

"Oh good, because there is this super scary movie on and I really want to see it!" Lita enthused.

"Oh no!" Serena wailed, cowering. "You _know_ how I am with those kinds of movies!"

"Don't worry Serena, you can hold my hand in the scary parts," Seiya offered graciously.

"I'll go ask Andrew and Darien if they want to come," Mina said, skipping over to plant a kiss on her boyfriend's cheek over the counter. After some chatting and head nodding Darien came back to the booth with Mina.

"Andrew's shift finishes in 15 minutes, so he will catch up with us at the movie," Mina said, clapping her hands together happily as the girls gathered their things. Darien and Seiya only looked at each other, knowing the other was certainly going to be a rival for Serena's attention.

**CHAPTER 4: WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR**

"Um... eight tickets please," Raye ordered at the counter while the girls giggled behind her. Darien and Seiya stood slightly off to the side, secretly plotting ways to seat themselves next to Serena.

"Hey Ami, isn't that Greg over there?" Serena gasped, pointing at a familiar brown-haired guy over at the sweets-counter.

Ami blushed pink to the blue roots of her hair, "Um... I think so," she mumbled.

"Well, _go on_!" Serena exclaimed, staring wide eyed at her friend.

"Serena... I... can't!" Ami sputtered. She hadn't seen Greg since their stay at the hotel had ended and her holiday courage failed her in the face of the reality that faced her now she was back home.

"Ami... you... can!" Serena grinned back, imitating her friends stuttering as she grasped her by the hand and forcibly dragging her over toward Greg.

Darien chuckled, appreciating Serena's liveliness and caring heart. She had done that same thing to him, just swept herself into her heart the way she swept herself into the lives of all her friends. He cast his eyes to the ground, deep in thought, and found himself deciding at that moment if she was going to fall for him, he wanted her to love him for who he was as much as he loved her for who she was. _No tricks and no fighting Seiya, just this unworthy man,_ he thought, silently praying he wasn't making a really stupid mistake right now.

"Come on guys, let's go get some seats," Raye said when she joined them and handing them their tickets. She looked around before finding Serena and Ami chatting animatedly with Greg and waved at them to hurry up.

Seeing Raye signalling to her, Serena of course _insisted_ that Greg sit with them, as he was serendipitously going to the same movie as they were. (_A.N. seredipity - a happy accident_)

The group piled into the cinema. Seiya had somehow manoeuvred for Serena to sit toward the middle with him. Next to Seiya sat Raye, then Lita, Ami, Greg, Mina and finally Darien.

_Funny how things work out..._ Darien thought, rolling his eyes at the distance between himself and Serena, almost reneging on his previous decision. _Seiya is probably thanking every shooting star for granting his every wish right now_, he pouted. He suddenly realised Mina was tugging on his sleeve.

"Darien, we've moved down, come on," she whispered .

Darien looked at her confused, "We have enough seats, why are we moving down?"

"Well, we need one for Andrew as he'll be here in a bit, but we need an extra one as well. Just trust me on this. It happens every time we go to the movies," she said dryly, rolling her eyes at some obviously well-known movie occurrence.

Darien could only shrug his obedient response.

The movie began and Darien sat back, prepared to be bored out of his mind. Horror movies didn't really scare him, and the tacky shallow storylines made him laugh.

"Psst, Darien, you're in my seat!" Andrew whispered in his ear with a grin a few minutes later.

Darien obligingly moved to allow the lovebirds to sit together, rolling his eyes as Mina squealed softly and rewarded her boyfriend with a kiss. From the corner of his eye he saw the two link hands and found himself once again a little bit envious.

The movie dragged by slowly, with very little scary bits to start it off. Darien snorted at the attempts of the movie-makers to develop a back-story to explain why the horror was about to happen. The movie was forty five minutes in and he was _this close_ to nodding off to sleep when he heard Mina whisper, "Here we go." He looked past her to see Serena squishing her way past her friends apologetically.

"I knew you should have sat on the end meatball head! You do this EVERYTIME!" Raye complained through gritted teeth.

"Well I'm not sorry for squishing you now PYRO!" Serena shot back as she squeezed past.

Darien heard Mina's soft giggle as Serena squished past Lita, Ami and Greg before tripping over Mina's hand bag. The blonde almost managed to steady herself by lurching her other foot forward. Unluckily for her, and happily for Darien, she managed to trip over Andrew's foot and land in Darien's lap.

"Ugh," Serena mumbled, her hair all over her face. She rolled from Darien's lap and blushed when she realised just who she had fallen over. She mumbled her apology and quickly raced -carefully- out of the movie theatre.

Darien only sat there bemused, watching her dissapear before turning back to watch the movie again.

Serena returned a few minutes later with an assortment of candies and plopped herself beside Darien on the end seat with a sigh that soon turned into a happy smile as she ripped open her first candy bag with gusto. Too much gusto as it turned out for the bag exploded and multi-coloured candies fell on both Serena and Darien.

"Oops!" she giggled, going for a second bag.

"Let me do it," Darien said, grabbing the bag from her before she could rain candy down on the entire cinema this time. He carefully opened the bag and gave it back to her.

"Thanks," she whispered, popping a candy into her mouth.

"What are you doing here?" Darien whispered.

"The girls won't let me past them again," She replied, staring wide-eyed at the screen which had turned black during one of the first scary parts of the movie. A monster suddenly leapt out and Serena shrieked, grabbing Darien's hand in the process, the candies forgotten. Another, uglier monster, leapt out and started devouring the people, causing Serena to slam her eyes shut at the sight and bury her head in Darien's shoulder.

Darien for his part could only silently thank every single shooting star he had ever wished upon and even the ones he hadn't for the sheer luck of the fact that every movie Serena just had to go get her mid-movie snacks.

**CHAPTER 5: A FOUR LEAF CLOVER**

"Oh my GOSH that was so scary! Lita I'm never seeing another scary movie with you again!" Serena wailed as they stepped out of the movie theatre into the bright mid afternoon.

"Are you kidding Serena? It was awesome, the way that guy just roundhouse kicked the head off of that..."

Serena's attention to Lita's enthusing over the movie stopped right about there. She needed something to make her feel better after that horrible movie; something sugary and sweet. Something like ice cream.

"Hey Serena, do you want to go get an ice cream?"

She gasped happily, and gave Darien the most grateful look she could muster. She was rewarded with his chuckle.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"I've told you before meatball head. I know you like no other," he grinned.

She turned back to the others, "Guys? Are you coming?"

The girls all looked at each other before looking back at Serena.

"Sorry I have a test to study for," Ami said quickly, turning to leave, "Bye guys, have fun."

"And she has to help me study," Mina added, turning to follow Ami.

"I've got to clean the temple," said Raye over her shoulder as she caught up to Ami and Mina.

"And I've... I've... got to go!" Lita cried, scampering off to join the other three.

Serena just stared at her departing friends, _You guys can be so weird_, she thought. She blushed, realising it would just be her and Darien.

"Dammit, now really?"

_Me, Darien... and Seiya, _she mentally corrected herself.

Seiya was talking none-too-happily on the phone to the person on the other end. "Fine, I'll be there!" he growled. He turned to Serena, "Sorry but that's my band. They need me to go through some stuff with them and I can't get out of it," he said apologetically.

"Oh, well I'll see you later then I guess?" she smiled.

"Of course Sere," he smiled back, giving her a quick hug before hailing a taxi.

"I guess it's just you and me," Darien's low voice said beside her.

She flushed, a little horrified she had seemed to develop a crush on the older guy over the past few weeks but knowing he didn't feel the same.

"Yeah," she said as they started to walked toward the Tokyo Gardens. (_A.N. I know - everything happens there doesnt it?)_

"So, have you been staying away from that guy your friends warned you about?" Darien teased, knowing full well it was him, Tuxedo Mask.

"Yes," she said acidly.

Darien quirked an eyebrow, "That bad huh?"

"Well, um, yeah," she said softly, "My friends were actually ok with it for a while. But then he really went and stuffed it up."

"What happened?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Oh, try me. With all the weird things that happen in this town I'm sure your story won't be too unbelievable," he said happily.

_Darien you should be ashamed of yourself_, the little voice reprimanded him when she gave him a strange look.

Darien ignored it.

"Well, we were on holidays and he happened to be there. We went out ice skating and then this... thing attacked us. I ran back to the hotel but a little later Sailor Moon, can you believe, came and told me that he said I was only a distraction for the guy and he actually loved someone else," she said heatedly.

"And you believed her?" Darien asked, trying to control the anger he felt at Sailor Moon.

"Of course! She's Sailor Moon!" Serena stated coolly. "She even punched him too. But then he came back and tried to smooth things over and he didn't ever have a scratch on him. She obviously didn't hit him hard enough," she muttered.

Darien glowered, remembering the hit. Luckily he healed pretty fast. It had been a pretty solid punch.

"But let's not talk about that anymore. It actually worked out in the end because it wouldn't have worked anyway. Oh hey the ice cream stall!" Serena chirped happily, running up to order a chocolate ice cream with sprinkles.

Darien sighed and chose a spot on the grass, fiddling with the green blades between his fingers. He was glad that Serena was showing no interest in Seiya, but that didn't automatically mean she was interested in him either. She clearly seemed to be well over Tuxedo Mask, a fact that pained him a little seeing as he was Tuxedo Mask. It made him wonder if she could reject the hero, how could she ever accept the rather uninteresting man behind the mask? He felt her return to sit down next to him, and tried hard not to just stare at her beautiful face. Instead he forced himself to calmly lay down on the grass and stare up at the sky.

"Oh look, clovers! There are tons of them!" Serena suddenly exclaimed and began to run her hands through the grass while simultaneously lapping at her ice cream.

"What?" Darien mumbled, half aware she was poking around in the grass beside him.

"Help me find a four-leaf one!" she demanded, poking him in the side.

"A what?"

"A four-leaf clover! Help me find one!"

"Why?"

"Well, because they mean good luck and..." she trailed off, her face flushing.

"And?"

"And I'll tell you when we find one."

Darien sighed, "Ok. But you do know that the odds of finding one are as likely as me tripping over like the klutz you are?" he teased.

"Ha funny ha jerk," she shot back, though he could tell she wasn't too annoyed with him.

He rolled over onto his hands and knees and began combing the grass.

"Ow," Serena whined when their heads bumped together.

"Sorry meatball head."

"Darien, you have ice cream on your face," she said seriously.

"I do?" he asked, reaching a hand up to touch his face and wondering why he couldn't feel the cool substance anyway.

"Yeah, right there," Serena grinned, dabbing his nose with her ice cream.

"Hey!" he said, making to grab at her.

She shrieked joyfully and leapt up to run, he leapt after her and managed to catch her by the waist before she got too far. But his foot at that moment snagged on a tree root and he knew he was about to crash onto the ground with her. He quickly turned his body so that he would bear the brunt of the fall and hit the soft grass with a thud. He groaned a little, but the dull ache in his back was soon forgotten the moment he realised her soft body was on top of him and he froze, not wanting to ever move away.

She raised her head from his chest, grinning at him, and he thought he might as well just die of heart failure now if all she ever wanted to be with him was 'just friends'. _It would be less painful_, he thought darkly.

"Hey," she said, reaching out toward his face.

For a moment he thought she was going to run her hands through his hair, _Please please do_, but she diverted her hand to the grass beside it to pluck a delicate four leaf clover from the ground. She held it between their faces, smiling at it.

"I think it's a sign," she whispered to herself.

"A sign?" Darien asked gently, not wanting her to realise she was still sprawled on top of him on the grass in the park. _This is heaven,_ he mused. "So are you going to tell me what it means now?"

She suddenly looked straight at him and he saw her lick her lips nervously before looking away. She looked down and he saw her realise that she was still on top of him, _Damn she had to notice_, and rolled away.

"I won't tell you, but if you find out would you let me know?" she said softly, handing him the clover.

"Let you know what?"

"Find out first and then you'll know," she grinned maddeningly. Then she frowned, "Darn, I lost my ice cream because of you. Now I have to get another one."

She got up slowly, and Darien noticed she looked a little vulnerable but before he could ask her what was wrong she had already begun walking toward the ice cream van. He looked at the four leaf clover in his hand, and wondered what exactly it was meant to mean.

_She said it meant good luck, and something else. It must be like flowers, flowers have meanings. I just need to ask someone who knows something about plants, _he surmised quickly.

Luckily for Darien the heavens seemed to smile upon him at that moment.

"So you have a four leaf clover there do you sonny? So who is the lucky girl you are going to give it to?" a burly voice asked him over his shoulder.

Darien turned his head from his sitting position on the grass to see a gardener standing close behind him.

"What do you mean sir?" Darien asked, confused, "I was the one it was given to."

"Ah. So you are the lucky recipient," the gardener grinned.

Darien looked at him blankly.

"You have no clue do you sonny?" the man laughed heartily, seeing Darien's blank look.

"Um, I know it means good luck," Darien said uncertainly, returning his gaze to the small green leaf in his palm.

"It sure does. But when it's given to another it also means 'be mine'," the crafty old gardener said, cracking a toothy smile at the shocked young man. With that said the gardener turned and left, whistling a happy tune.

At that moment he saw Serena join him on the grass.

"So smarty pants you figured it out yet?" Serena teased shyly.

For the first time, Darien noticed, really noticed, how Serena always seemed to have a faint blush around him. He couldn't contain his elation and his face lit up in a large smile.

"Actually Serena, I have," he whispered, staring directly into her eyes.

She gasped and froze, looking to the ground, anywhere but him. He chuckled softly, and edged himself closer to her so they were sitting side by side. She fiddled with the edge of her skirt nervously, unsure how to act now that her crush had been revealed. He took the ice cream from her and lay it gently in the carry holder on the ground, then wrapped his other arm around behind her waist.

"And since you asked me to let you know when I found out I suppose I will, I would love to be yours," he whispered in her ear before swooping his other arm around her to pull her to him as he fell back onto the grass with her. She gasped at his admission as well as the sudden sensation of being yanked from her seated position to be sprawled out beside him on the grass, laying half over his chest. His arms closed around her to pull her down to him, and she obligingly met his lips in a soft kiss.

**CHAPTER 6: OUR FIRST FIGHT**

Serena drew back from the kiss with a happy sigh, _Me and Darien... who would have thought a few months ago we would end up together?_ she mused, her heart doing a happy little dance. She looked down at Darien who had a goofy smile on his face and she leant down to reward him with another kiss. She was stopped short by the sound of her communicator beeping.

"Damn," she said softly against his lips.

"What was that?" Darien mumbled, hearing the beeping.

"My... uh parents. They want me home," she sighed, she gave him a quick kiss, loathe to leave him, "I need to go. See you tomorrow at the Arcade ok?"

"Sure thing," he smiled back.

She got up from the grass and ran off toward the exit. Finding a large hedge she quickly ducked behind it and flipped open her communicator.

"Serena, there's something going on at the amusement park, we think the NegaVerse is stealing energy through the rides," Ami's voice came over the communicator.

"Ok, I'll be there in ten minutes," Serena chirruped, closing the lid. She narrowed her eyes slightly, this new NegaVerse ploy had interrupted her afternoon with Darien just after she had gotten up the courage to tell him how she felt. Now she thought about it the high she felt a moment ago had suddenly turned into a burning annoyance with the NegaVerse's untimely interruption.

"Oh you are so going down you NegaTrash," she growled.

.

"Mercury, have you found the source yet?" Sailor Jupiter enquired of the blue-haired senshei.

"I think the youma isthe merry-go-round," Mercury said, pointing at the red and gold merry-go-round.

"We have to get the people off it or else we can't fight it," Sailor Venus said with some concern.

"That's easy I'll just zap it a little. Not enough to hurt the people, but enough to get its attention," Jupiter said enthusiastically, the lightening already firing up between her fingertips.

"Wait for Sailor Moon first Jupiter, we will need her to dust it," Sailor Mercury cautioned too late, as Jupiter had already sent a bolt of lightning at the youma.

"GARGH!" it growled in pain, flinging its unconscious victims from their seats. The youma glowed and its body shape-shifted into a bulging red and gold clown.

"GARGH!" it growled again, sending out bolts of black energy at the scouts.

"How dare you come here to ruin the fun of this fun park you NegaTrash! How dare you interrupt the joy of these people! I am Sailor Moon and on behalf of the moon I'll moondust you!" she declared with happy malice, but she soon gasped as black energy missiles shot at her from the clown's hat. She barely managed a shriek of fear before she felt herself lifted bodily into the air. She looked up, throwing a glare at the hero.

"You're welcome," the masked hero said.

Sailor Moon just pouted, crossed her arms and waited for him to finally land and put her down. _Stupid jerk Tuxedo Mask; stupid youma ruining my time with Darien._

Sailor Moon suddenly found herself extremely P.O.'ed at both the youma and Tuxedo Mask. Glaring at him, and annoyed that she couldn't just moondust the hero (questions would be asked), she turned back toward the youma. Sailor Moon grabbed her tiara and with all her frustration screamed, "You STUPID NegaTrash! I have a LIFE and BETTER things to do, say like HANGING OUT WITH MY BOYFRIEND and then you RUDELY HAVE TO JU... JUST... ARGH! MOON TIARA ACTION!" she screamed.

The tiara screamed across the distance between Sailor Moon and the youma, tearing through it with a blazing ferocity neither the Scouts nor Tuxedo Mask had ever seen before. The youma screamed shrilly before dissipating, while Sailor Moon reached her hand up to catch the returned tiara before cramming it back on her forehead. She dusted her hands, happy with her work tonight and feeling thoroughly satisfied she had _totally_ decimated the alien entity.

"Sailor Moon?" Sailor Mars asked, a little shocked.

"You have a boyfriend!" Sailor Venus squealed, rushing over to where Sailor Moon and a still pole-axed Tuxedo Mask stood.

Sailor Moon grinned goofily, "I totally do guys!"

The Sailor Scouts descended upon their leader, grabbing her hands as they all danced and leapt happily on the spot.

"Who is it!?" Sailor Mars demanded. Her eyes suddenly widened, "You mean after the... today... when you... and... NO WAY!" she squealed.

Sailor Moon laughed happily, "Yes totally absolutely way! But you know what," she whispered conspiratorially to her companions.

The girls leant in, eager to hear.

"He kissed me!"

Tuxedo Mask barely had time to bring his hands to his ears before all five girls as one let out an ear splitting scream of disbelief and joy. He groaned, _This is who is protecting the Earth? Heaven help us all_.

He suddenly realised that the night had gone eerily quiet, and he looked up to see the girls glaring at him, hands on hips.

"What are you still doing here Cape-boy?" Sailor Jupiter demanded.

Tuxedo Mask narrowed his eyes, "Just wondering who the poor sod is that got stuck with _her_," he said acidly.

"Why I oughta..." Sailor Moon said angrily, stepping forward to wave an angry fist at him. "Remember last time? Well this time I might just put some _effort_ into smashing you into next week you big-sleazy-jerk! I will have you know that _my boyfriend_ is smart, gorgeous and amazing," she growled.

"Smart? He must be completely rabid to contemplate dating _you_!" he sneered back.

"At least I _have_ a boyfriend. As if anyone would consider you to be boyfriend material, more like a nice little bit of arm candy to show off to their friends, 'Oh look I know Tuxedo Mask'," she shot at him, saying the last part with an annoyingly high and breathy voice.

"I'll have you know-" he started angrily, but he was cut off by Sailor Moon.

"Even our dear friend _Serena_ seems to have gotten over you pretty quickly from what I saw in the park today," she jibed.

Tuxedo Mask gaped, _Sailor Moon had been in the park today? She had seen us?_

Sailor Moon, thinking she had won a victory, continued, "Yeah Tuxie, she looked pre-tt-y happy with the dark haired guy she was with. Seems to have forgotten allllll about you."

Sailor Moon was rudely shocked when Tuxedo Mask tipped his head back and laughed heartily into the night sky.

"What's so damn funny?" she scowled, stamping a foot.

Tuxedo Mask stopped his laughter to glare at her with a glint of mischief in his eye, "I wish her _all_ the happiness in the world. I sincerely do, in fact I will let you know now that _I_ shall never bother her again, and I _gracefully_ concede to the success of this young man who is _clearly_ head and shoulders above me in every way," he said sweetly.

Sailor Moon just glared at him, suspicion lighting in her eyes.

He just smiled, _An evil smile_, Serena thought, tipped his hat and leapt away into the night.

"Somehow, I think that guy has something up his sleeve Moon," Sailor Mars said shrewdly.

"Yeah Mars, I think he does too," Sailor Moon said, watching the hero disappear from sight with wary eyes. She turned to her friends, "But look on the bright side, he will never ever have a chance with _me_ again, will he?" she giggled.

The girls laughed back.

"Nup, not a chance," Sailor Venus grinned, giving her friend a congratulatory pat on the back, "Now lets get home and tomorrow at the Arcade - _I. Want. Details!_"

**CHAPTER 7: TOPSY TURVY DAY**

**1 Month Later...**

"Wow Sere, I can't believe you and Darien have been together a whole month now," Mina gushed as they enjoyed some tea in the temple. It was their weekly senshei meeting and they were there to discuss strategy to deal with the increased threat of the NegaVerse.

"Yeah I know, it's really weird to think that you two got together," Ami giggled, "You hated each other for so long."

"You know what's even funnier, that Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon can't stand each other now. It's like the world has gone topsy turvy!" Lita added.

Raye laughed, "The only thing that needs to happen now is that we find out Serena is really the Princess we are all looking for and our web of insanity is complete," she said, quickly ducking to avoid the crumpled up piece of paper thrown at her from Serena.

"But don't you think it's already a crazy day? I mean, Sere managed to stop sucking face with Darien long enough to grace us with her presence!" Mina exclaimed with joyful laughter.

"OH YOU GUYS!" Serena shrieked, her face going red as she stalked after them ready to punish them their tormenting.

She was only infuriated further by her friend's glee-filled laughter.

"Ok girls, that is enough, we must address the issue of the NegaVerse," Luna commanded, taking a seat on one of the cushions.

"Yes, my computer shows the frequency and intensity of the attacks has increased lately," Ami stated, taping furiously away at her Mercury Computer.

"I've noticed that our dreams about the Princess have increased as well. Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that we have almost all the crystals? I was just thinking about it today, and it seems like our dreams began when we got one crystal and have increased every time we obtain another," Raye said with a frown, clearly in deep concentration.

"But we don't have all the crystals," Serena said, frowning herself.

"Well, we know Tuxedo Mask has two and we now have four, but I suppose what I am saying is that the more crystals that are discovered, the more dreams we have," Raye answered.

"What happens when we find all the crystals? Will the Princess appear?" Mina asked.

Luna shook her head, "I do not know. I only know we need to find the crystals."

"What about the Prince?" Serena asked, glancing surreptitiously at Luna.

"I don't know. I only know that he and the Princess were very much in love. It is possible that he may have been reborn as she was," Luna said thoughtfully.

"What if..." Mina began, her voice trailing off.

"What Mina?" Artemis said, nudging her cheek with his white forehead.

"It's just that Tuxedo Mask said he loved the Princess. He wasn't lying, he really does love her, I could feel it. I wonder if he might be the Prince?" Mina proposed uncertainly.

Serena laughed, "That moron? What is so Princely about him?"

"Well he only saves your klutzy butt every other battle Moon," Raye teased.

Serena only rolled her eyes and made a mental note to klutz-up less often in battle. It unnerved her that she still felt some small, insignificant, spark whenever the hero swept her into his arms in the heat of battle. She couldn't deny her heart beat that little bit faster when they fought as well, his blue eyes flashing at her in anger, and maybe something else.

_It's only the adrenalin,_ she scolded herself, _I'm with Darien. Darien. DARIEN! Remember? Tall, dark, handsome, smart, amazing DARIEN._

Serena sighed, hating her conflicting emotions. She snapped back to reality, realising that Luna was talking.

"... I do not know about Tuxedo Mask being the Prince, nor is it my primary concern. We must above all find the Princess and bring her the crystals so that she may restore them into the Silver Imperium Crystal," Luna surmised. She turned to Serena, "Serena, how are you and Darien going?"

Serena knew that Luna certainly wasn't referring to their blossoming relationship, rather whether or not he suspected she was keeping something from him, like the fact she was Sailor Moon.

"Fine Luna. He thinks the beeper was given to me by my parents and I've told him that they are slightly over-protective and will call me at odd times. It's only been weird those two times I told you about," she replied, "But whenever I ask him about it later and apologize, he seems ok with it and even said that he himself realised he had forgotten something so it wasn't a bit deal."

Luna nodded, "Good. Make sure it stays that way."

.

"Hey meatball head," Darien said affectionately to the blonde who had appeared beside him at the Arcade.

"Hey, I'm looking for my sweet and sensitive boyfriend? Have you seen him?" Serena teased back, looking searchingly around the Arcade.

Darien arched an eyebrow, "Oh, what does this specimen of male perfection look like hmm?"

"Oh, he's about this tall, with dark hair and gorgeous eyes, and if it helps he kinda kisses like this..." Serena teased, giving Darien a lingering kiss.

She stepped back to view him, satisfied to see his eyes half closed and a soft smile playing on his lips. He licked his lips, leaning forward so that his face was only inches from hers.

"Him, I haven't seen. But I'm more than happy to take his place if you will have this unworthy man. Would you care to join me for a walk to the park?" he suggested with a come-hither smile.

Serena touched her forehead to his, lacing her fingers together behind his neck, "How could I resist such an offer?"

.

They walked hand in hand in the park, enjoying the sunny day and cool breeze.

"Let's go to the rose garden again," Serena begged, pulling his hand.

Darien chuckled, happy to oblige her.

"I just love roses," Serena smiled, breathing in the delicate scent of a pure white rose in bloom.

Her back turned, Darien conjured a perfect ruby red rose for her, "A rose for the most beautiful girl in Tokyo?" he murmured beside her.

She squealed happily, and he delighted in her reaction.

"Darien you always find the best roses," she sighed, inhaling its fragrance. She looked up at him starry eyed, "The day couldn't get any more perfect."

Darien could only nod his agreement before closing the distance between them to swoop her into his arms and kiss her with all the love in his heart.

Just then, the sky darkened.

.

Ami's computer beeped loudly in her pocket, demanding her attention. She flicked it open, knowing it meant trouble. But what she saw made her gasp. Her other hand immediately found her communicator, sending an emergency beacon to the other scouts and a short message: BIG trouble. Park.

.

Serena's communicator beeped noisily in her pocket and she groaned with annoyance, breaking the kiss.

"Have to go again huh?" Darien teased.

She glanced at him apologetically before flicking a look at her communicator, her face marked with worry at what she saw. She opened her mouth to make her excuses and somehow convince Darien at the same time to leave the park, but she was pre-empted by a loud scream followed by a low but menacing growl. Her eyes widened as she saw a large green snake-like youma rise up above the hedges to cast its evil glare across the park. Its eyes locked onto the two young lovers in the rose garden, and lunged for them.

.

"Mars here, what is up?" Sailor Mars shouted into the communicator as she ran toward the park.

"There is a really powerful youma in the park. Its ten times more powerful than any other we've faced," Mercury's breathless reply came.

"Crap. Where are the others?" Mars barked.

"Jupiter and Venus are on their way, but... Sere is there on a DATE!" Mercury cried wretchedly, knowing Serena was dangerously close to the trouble and unable to transform without revealing her identity.

"CRAP!" Mars shouted back, her limbs injected with new strength as she ran faster than she had ever done before.

**CHAPTER 8: DIE FOR YOU**

Serena shrieked and leapt to the side as the snake-like youma barrelled toward them. She was vaguely aware of Darien having leapt away from her in a similar fashion. The youma's evil claws wrenched into the concrete and Serena was grateful she had leapt away in time.

_What do I do? I can't just transform here!_ she thought desperately. She saw the youma recover itself and look toward Darien.

"Serena, RUN!" Darien shouted.

Serena didn't hesitate. She knew she couldn't help him like this; she needed to find a place to transform and to take care of this youma. She ran out of the rose gardens and around the corner to a gardener's shed that was (thankfully) unlocked. Once inside, she transformed.

.

Darien saw Serena run and was glad she had gotten away safely.

_Damn it to hell, where can I transform?_ he thought angrily. He saw the youma look at him and knew he would have to get away somehow, _WHERE are the Sailor Scouts?_

The youma leapt at him with a roar and he braced himself to dodge the attack. But it never came.

"Mars fire... IGNITE!" Sailor Mars screamed from beside him, sending a rush of fireballs at the advancing youma.

The youma screamed in pain and anger, backing away to reconsider its method of attack.

"You, get out of here," Sailor Mars ordered Darien.

He nodded and turned to run. _Serena!_ his mind cried out, hoping she was ok. Running out of the rose garden, he looked frantically around for a place to transform. He cursed when he saw the area full of scared people running around in a daze, uncertain of where to find safety and shelter. A scream alerted him to the fight behind him and, turning, he saw the body of Sailor Mars hurtling through the air to thud against a large tree. His eyes widened in fear, _This youma is incredibly powerful_.

"MARS!" he heard Sailor Moon scream, rushing over to her friend who was lying unconscious on the ground. She pressed a hand to the comatose girl's cheek before standing to turn and face the youma, fire igniting in her eyes. He saw her eyes lock onto him and watched as her face froze. Darien turned to look behind him with a sickening feeling, realizing the youma was _right there_. It grinned evilly at him, and brought its claws up in preparation to strike. Darien could only close his eyes and prepare his body for the fatal impact that was to follow.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!" Sailor Moon screamed.

Darien felt the tiara fling past him, and wondered at the power behind it. He had never heard Sailor Moon sound like that before, her voice all terror and determination at once. He heard the youma cry out in pain behind him and wondered at fate for allowing him to live twice in the last minute when he could have just as easily been killed.

"Jupiter thunder... CRASH!" Sailor Jupiter shouted from his left.

He suddenly felt himself being pulled forward and he opened his eyes to see Sailor Moon grasping his arm. Surely he, as Tuxedo Mask, found the heroine incredibly frustrating to the point of outright dislike but at that moment she was practically his angel as she forced him away from the fighting. Then she said something that nearly made him faint from surprise.

"Darien you need to get away from here. I can't fight knowing you are in danger," she whispered urgently before rushing back to help the other Sailor Scouts battle.

_She knows my name?_

He shook his head. He would think about it later. Right now he needed to transform and help the Scouts. He looked around and still could not find a suitable place until his eyes found a small gardener's shed just near the rose gardens. If he could sneak in unnoticed, he could transform safely.

Darien made his way quickly to the shed, _Only 20 more metres and I'm there_.

"You, stop," a harsh voice came.

Darien looked toward where the voice had come from, and with a groan he realised it had come from _above _him. Lifting his eyes, he saw Malachite hovering in the air, and evil, twisted, thoughtful look on his face.

"You mean something to her, don't you human?" he sneered.

Darien could only stare blankly at him.

"I saw you," the Malachite continued, his eyes narrowing to reveal his malicious intent, "Let's see just how much."

Malachite looked toward the battle, satisfied that the youma he had unleashed was holding its own. He had given up much to gain such a powerful fiend, but the human in front of him he thought could turn out to be the real treasure.

"Sailor Moon!" he called out imperiously.

The blonde snapped her head around to glare at Malachite before her face registered fear seeing Darien standing before him.

"Say goodbye to your friend here," he sneered cruelly, causing a large dark crystal to form in his hand.

Darien stood there frozen as time seemed to stand still. He wondered briefly if fate could intervene a third time and save his wretched life. Standing there, staring at the crystal that Malachite had suddenly flung at him, he knew that it would fatally pierce his unprotected body and he would likely die. Had he been saved twice today only to die now?

Darien barely registered the scream that came from Sailor Moon as she flung her tiara at Malachite and ran toward Darien. The tiara once again flew past him and he noticed that it was an oddly bright blood red colour. He saw the tiara hit Malachite who doubled over, and wondered if it was a fatal blow to the NegaVerse general. Whatever the blow to the general was he did not know for he faded away, retreating back to his own dimension. That however did not stop the crystal bearing down on him, only a few feet away.

_I am going to die_.

He closed his eyes and prayed that Serena would forgive him. But the killing blow never came. He felt himself being flung to the side, and roughly smacked his head against a steel lamp pole. He fell to the ground, and his eyes only saw one sight before the darkness claimed him.

Sailor Moon falling to the ground, with the dark crystal embedded in her torso.

**CHAPTER 9: THE QUESTION**

"PLUTO DEADSCREAM!"

The Sailor Scout of Pluto appeared behind the remaining three Scouts still standing. The power of her attack utterly destroyed the youma, its ashes flitting away with the wind. The attack came so quickly and so powerfully the youma hadn't even the chance to scream its final breath.

"Who are you?" Sailor Jupiter wheezed, falling to her knees from exhaustion. Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury quickly followed her, too tired to stand.

"I am she who guards time and space. But today I must needs find the Princess, she is dying," Pluto stated quickly, scanning the area for the Princess.

"But we haven't found her?" Mercury questioned, looking about her. Her eyes widened as her gaze found Sailor Moon's lifeless body, "SERENA!" she cried, launching her tired limbs toward her friend.

Sailor Venus and Jupiter echoed her scream, racing as fast as they could to hunch them over her body.

"Oh, Serena, Serena," Sailor Venus cried, seeing the large crystal that was embedded in her torso.

"My baby!" a woman's voice cried.

The girls were pushed to the side as a weeping silver-haired woman grabbed and held the body of Serena tightly to her chest. She cried silver tears and mumbled into her hair. The Sailor Scouts could only look on shocked at the woman who looked so much like Serena.

"It's going to be ok. Mama's here baby," she soothed. Her words shocking the grief-stricken girls even more.

From thin air the woman produced a bright and shining crystal, and the girls instantly recognised it for what it was, though they knew not how they recognised it.

"The Imperium Silver Crystal," Sailor Mercury breathed in awe.

"But how?" Sailor Jupiter questioned in awe.

The woman held the crystal over Serena's lifeless body and it began to glow. Its light grew intensely and encompassed the blonde Scout on the ground. The girls watched as the dark crystal dissipated and Serena's wounds healed, and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she was going to be ok.

"Mama?" Sailor Moon said softly, opening her eyes.

"Yes baby it's me, your mother," the woman with silver hair replied, tears in her eyes.

"I don't understand," Sailor Moon suddenly said, her eyes becoming unfocussed.

"Shh... it's ok. The power of the crystal brought some memories back sweetheart, but this crystal isn't of this time and I must take it back with me for it is needed."

"Back with you?" Sailor Moon croaked wearily.

"Yes darling. I belong to long ago. I am only here because Pluto brought me to save you with the power of the crystal. You will remember more later, but for now rest," the woman said.

Sailor Moon could only comply as her body, heavy with exhaustion, demanded that she sleep.

"Who are you?" Sailor Venus whispered to the silver haired woman.

"I am Queen Selenity of the Moon Kingdom," Selenity replied.

"So your... and that means she..." Jupiter said dumbly.

Selenity only nodded at the dumbstruck girl before her. "Take her home, she needs rest."

Jupiter mutely complied with the command, picking up Sailor Moon in her arms and turning to leave. Venus was already helping the now-conscious Mars to her feet while Sailor Mercury stood there, a question forming on her lips.

"What do we do now?" she asked the Queen.

Selenity smiled, "What you have always done, find the crystals and return them to my daughter. They are the key to your past and your future child," she said warmly. She turned to Pluto, "Pluto, lead me home."

Pluto nodded her consent to the Queen.

The Queen turned back to Sailor Mercury, "Mercury, when she awakens, tell her I love her I love her, and am sorry I could not stay any longer than was necessary to save her life," the Queen said sorrowfully.

Sailor Mercury bowed to the Queen humbly.

"Your highness?" Pluto asked the Queen, directing her attention to the portal.

The Queen's attention had however turned to a young man who had regained consciousness and was staring open-mouthed at the sight before him.

"You!" he gaped, pointing at Pluto.

Pluto muttered a soft curse, causing Selenity to cast her an amused glance. Selenity walked to the young man and knelt before him with a curious smile on her face.

"I am glad you have found each other... again," the Queen said warmly, though her last word was sorrowful. Knowing the events of the future caused her grief at the certain death and destruction that would befall her kingdom, but she had made peace with her future.

He gaped at her, uncertain if he were dreaming or awake.

"Time to send you home I think. Take care of her for me," Selenity said softly.

Her face faded from before him as he faded back into unconsciousness, and had he the ability he would have cursed and questioned everything that had just taken place. But as it was his head spun, his thoughts wild and uncollected. He welcomed the darkness, closing his eyes in acceptance.

He awoke several hours later and sat up straight on his bed, his mind a whirl of activity as he analysed the day's events, and in particular those he had witnessed when he had awoken briefly after hitting his head. Sailor Moon falling, darkness, the green haired woman, the Scouts crying over their fallen leader, a silver haired woman with a bright shining light who called herself Queen Selenity, and most importantly who called Sailor Moon her daughter. All his thinking brought him to the one question his mind was unable to answer satisfactorily: who on earth was Sailor Moon?

**CHAPTER 10: PRINCESS SERENA**

"Serena is the Princess," Lita said monotonously, her disbelief at the recent turn of events evident.

The scouts were meeting at the temple for their weekly meeting. It had been a couple days after the incident at the park. Serena was still weak from the battle, and had stayed home 'sick' from school.

"Princess Serena," Raye said, trying the name out.

"No, Princess Serenity," Artemis said matter-of-factly.

"I still don't get it. She doesn't remember being the Princess, but we know who she is, and we still don't have all the crystals. Raye and I have one each, Serena has one, Tuxedo Mask has two and I don't know where the other two are," Ami complained, tired from trying to make sense of all that had happened.

"I think the circumstances dictated that revelation Mina. Serena was dying. It is only natural her mother, Queen Selenity, would come to her aid, even across time and space. I am as surprised as you girls are. I was always under the impression that we would find the crystals and THEN the princess," Luna said, thinking deeply about the entire situation.

"Something just doesn't add up," Raye said, "We were all so sure we would have to find the crystals first and then the princess would show up."

"Um guys, I think I should speak up right about now," Mina said uncomfortably.

Three heads and two pairs of cats eyes swivelled to look in her direction.

Mina looked to the floor, "I've known Serena is the princess since the holidays," she whispered.

"You what," Luna and Artemis growled simultaneously.

Mina gave them a pleading look, "I was told by that green haired woman not to tell anyone. You see, at the masked ball Serena had a really bad vision. She _remembered_ the day she and Endymion died."

"That's impossible. How could we not know about that!?" Raye screeched.

Mina sighed, "The green haired woman somehow stopped time. She said it was to protect Serena because she was sending out psychic screams. Tuxedo Mask and I –"

"TUXEDO MASK KNOWS SERENA IS THE PRINCESS!" Luna screeched in rage and disbelief.

Mina hunched over before giving a small nod.

Luna took several deep breaths, desperate to regain control of her temper, "So he was there when she had the vision, and then what?"

"We were pulled into the vision somehow. We saw her as the princess and Endymion and Beryl. We saw Endymion fighting with Beryl and then he was taken by some green light. Serenity screamed and leapt after him. They were killed," Mina said softly, tears falling down her face as she remembered the awful sight.

Luna nodded, Artemis looked thoughtful.

"So, he has known, but he hasn't done anything. Not even contacted her?" Artemis asked Mina.

She nodded with a smile, "He really does love her. I can feel how much he cares for her."

Ami frowned, "It's really odd that the girl Tuxedo Mask loves, and the girl he protects are the one and the same. I don't know if I believe that is a coincidence. Do you think he found out her identity again?"

Mina shook her head, "No, I don't believe so. Not with the way they have been acting. Plus I would know. If he loves Serena and knew she was Sailor Moon I would have felt the change in his attitude toward her."

"What do you think will happen if he finds out?" Lita asked with curiosity.

"Maybe we should tell him," Raye interjected.

"What?!" Luna exclaimed.

"Well, Tuxedo Mask says he has been collecting crystals for the princess. Queen Selenity said our job is to collect the crystals and return them to her daughter. I think for one that we should give our crystals to Serena and secondly try and get the ones Tuxedo Mask has as well. We have to get her the crystals, it is our mission isn't it?" Raye explained.

Mina frowned, "Guys there is something else you should know. The green haired woman said that the crystals are connected to Serena's soul; they are a part of her. What if we give her the crystals and she has another vision? The last one was super powerful and it even made me transform without me doing it myself. The woman said that it was unlikely she would have such strong memories again, but she got the vision a week after having that crystal," the blonde girl said in a rush, not sure where her thoughts were leading her but needing somehow to make sense of it all.

Luna and Artemis looked at eachother and nodded.

"I think we should give Serena the crystals. It is our mission to get the crystals for the princess. We have the princess, she needs the crystals. But when we do it you girls will be transformed so that you can protect her, ok?" Artemis said with finality.

The girls nodded.

"So when will this happen?" Ami asked.

Artemis paused, "How is Serena?"

"She is fine, just a little shaken. Seeing your boyfriend almost die and then dying yourself does that to you, you know," Raye said sarcastically.

Artemis rolled his eyes in annoyance, "But other than that she is well?"

"Yes."

"Then we do it tonight."

**CHAPTER 11: I REMEMBER ME**

"Are you ready Sailor Moon?" Artemis asked the nervous girl flatly.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she mumbled.

Artemis gave her a hard look, "Sailor Moon, I know this is a lot to take in but you are the Princess we have been searching for. This is necessary."

"I know, I know," she said sadly. For some reason she couldn't put her finger on she didn't want to be the Princess. She just wanted to be Serena, an average girl with average hopes and dreams.

"Come on Sailor Moon, we can do this," Sailor Venus encouraged.

Sailor Moon nodded to her friend gratefully. She surveyed the area they were in again. They had decided to go outside the town where they would be relatively distanced from curious by-passers if anything too strange occurred. They were at present in a large field about five kilometres from the city. The cool night air kissed her cheeks, making them rosy from the cold. Sailor Moon closed her eyes, her heart feeling like it was about to break. She had an awful feeling about tonight.

"Ok girls. Let's do this," Luna commanded gently.

Raye and Ami placed their crystals before Sailor Moon before back away to join the other scouts in forming a protective circle about her. Sailor Moon took a deep breath, and picked up one of the crystals. She held the crystal in her hand, surprised by its warmth.

"Nothing is happening," she said dryly, relieved.

Suddenly the world _shifted_...

.

_Flashback_

"_Princess Mina, stop flirting so much with the guards! They do have duties to attend to!" Serenity giggled._

"_Says you Serenity! Must you continue to make eyes at the Earth Prince hmm dear cousin?"_

_Serenity blushed, "He is very handsome..."_

.

Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus fell to the ground panting. Sailor Moon looked at Sailor Venus and saw the girl staring back at her.

"Cousin?" they said at the same time.

"What happened!?" Raye demanded.

"We had a vision. Mina was the princess of Venus, and my cousin," Sailor Moon explained.

The scouts looked at the two girls stunned.

Sailor Moon just laughed, "Well that was a bit more wilder than any roller coaster I've ever been on... ARH!" Sailor Moon screamed as the world _shifted_ again. A moment later she, Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury were on the ground panting, having envisioned Mars and Mercury as princesses of their own planets.

"This is crazy," Sailor Mars moaned.

"Says you Mars, I'm the one who gets pulled into every memory," Sailor Moon moaned, lying on her back.

"It must be because the crystals are connected to you Sailor Moon. You gain your memories, we gain ours," Mercury said between deep breaths.

"Well, we may as well get round two out of the way," Sailor Moon muttered, "Look's like it's your turn next Sailor Jupiter," she grinned wickedly.

"Bring it on!" Sailor Jupiter replied, smacking a fist into her hand.

Sailor Moon took a deep breath and grasped the next crystal. The vision came immediately...

_._

_Flashback_

"_I think he is a spy!" Princess Lita cried, pounding her fist on the table._

"_Not all people from the Earth are spies!" Serenity cried back passionately._

"_You only say that because of him!" Lita replied hotly, "But he could be out to hurt the Moon Kingdom! Hurt you!"_

"_I don't believe it!" Serenity shouted._

"_Girls, lets not fight. We don't know whose side he is on," Ami said, coming between them._

"_I think he is on our side. He loves her guys," Mina said off to the side, lounging on the window sill._

_Raye could only sit silently brooding._

_A knock came from the door, interrupting them._

"_Sere?" a voice came before a dark haired man in black armour appeared._

"_ENDY!" Serenity cried, rushing to him to envelop him in a hug._

_He smiled down at Serenity before surveying the room, taking in the tension. "I appear to have interrupted you," he said quietly._

_Lita glared at him, Ami looked away, Mina smiled while Raye contemplated him from beneath her lashes._

"_No, not at all," Serenity assured him, casting a warning glance to her companions._

"_It is ok. I only came to give you this," he replied, pulling a rose from behind his back to give to her._

_End Flashback_

.

All the girls now fell panting on the ground at the vision.

"Wow," Sailor Moon said.

"Crazy," Mars murmured.

"What now?" Venus asked absently.

"Let's go home and get some sleep," Ami mumbled, getting up.

"What about after that?" Lita asked.

Luna and Artemis looked at each other before looking at the girls, "We get the other crystals from Tuxedo Mask of course. "

"Tonight?" Sailor Moon whined.

Luna shook her head, "No, we have had enough excitement for one night. We will have to wait until we see him next anyway before we can obtain the crystals."

The girls nodded, the visions had sapped their energy and their tiredly got up to make their way back home. They did have school in the morning.

Meanwhile, across the fields and back in Tokyo City, Darien shot up in bed having dreamt the same vision.

**CHAPTER 12: UNHAPPY ENDING**

Serena awoke in a daze as her alarm beeped at her unwelcomingly. She grumbled but for once got up right away to stumble around as she dressed for school. She mumbled her goodbye to her mum, listlessly taking her lunch from the kitchen bench and made her way slowly to school.

**After school...**

The day went by in a haze for Serena. Everything just seemed so dull and lifeless. Flashes of the Moon Kingdom plagued her mind and she jumped a little everytime she was pulled into a vision. She was grateful that they seemed to only come as daydreams - it was slightly less embarrassing to be told off for daydreaming rather than falling to the ground in a panting heap.

She walked slowly toward the Arcade, knowing what she would find there and what she had to do. _I have to do this..._

Her beeper went off. She flicked it open.

"Problem in the park... WHY is it always the park?..." Mercury droned, her voice faded as Serena snapped the communicator shut. Finding an alley, she transformed and as quickly as she could made her way to the park. She could use a good fight to get all the tension out.

.

"Sailor Moon, it's a rainbow crystal!" Mercury cried, tapping away furiously at her computer.

Sailor Moon nodded, assessing the battle before her and trying to find the best position for her to use her moon healing power on the wretch under the power of the NegaVerse.

"Venus Love Chain ENCIRCLE!" Venus cried.

The chain of hearts struck true, wrapping itself several times around the struggling rainbow crystal holder.

"Now Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask said, dropping beside her.

She rolled her eyes at him, _Duh..._

"Moon Healing Activation!" she cried, the white light spreading over the victim and fading away to reveal the young girl and the crystal she was carrying.

"Thankyou for your help Sailor Brat!" Nephrite sneered as he appeared from thin air, calling the crystal to him.

Sailor Moon saw his outstretched hand, and watched as the crystal made its way to him. Something unwelcome bubbled up inside her and she was helpless to prevent the command that uttered from her mouth.

"Suishoo, koi. Crystal come."

The crystal paused in mid air, as if recognising its master, before furiously zipping away to place itself gently in Sailor Moon's outstretched hand.

"WHAT!?" Nephrite screamed in fury. He screamed again, but this time because the world _shifted_ and they were all pulled into a horribly vivid vision.

_._

"_No! I won't leave you!" Serena cried back, racing toward him._

_Evil power crackled throughout Endymion's body as the evil entity Metallia tortured him. He lifted his gaze to his love, his face a mask of pain._

"_Serenity," Endymion whispered._

"_Endymion love," Serena whispered back._

_They stretched their hands weakly toward each other, but the strain was too much for their dying bodies and their hands never touched as they fell limply back, falling into the dark abyss of death._

_._

"NOOO!" Sailor Moon howled, falling to the ground screaming and sobbing. Her hands covered her face, and her small body was wracked with convulsive cries of pain as she wept.

The Scouts, Nephrite and Tuxedo Mask found themselves fallen to the ground as they awakened from the vision to the sound of Sailor Moon's cry. Nephrite appeared as though he had seen a ghost and faded away, while the scouts rushed to their leader's side to sooth her. Tuxedo Mask could only stare at the scene before him unmoving.

_She's the princess? But she can't be. Serena is..._

Tuxedo Mask watched in silent disbelief as Sailor Jupiter carried Sailor Moon away, followed closely by the other scouts. It was only when he could see them no longer that he finally picked himself up and trudged home.

.

"Serena, Serena, look at us meatball head," Raye cried, silent tears falling down her cheeks at hearing Serena's muffled sobs.

"Guys, just give her a minute. That's the second time she's had that vision, and it's been a huge week for her. Finding out she is the princess and then watching her true love die..." Mina's voice trailed off.

The girls left Raye's room at the temple to make some tea, leaving Serena to have some time by herself.

"What should we do guys?" Lita asked, staring at the ceiling.

"I don't know. That was a way harsh vision. She died to be with him, they had a deep love..." Mina said softly.

"What about Nephrite. He saw it too," Ami said.

"What about Tuxedo Mask? Now he must realise her secret identity as Sailor Moon," Mina added.

"What about Darien?" Raye murmured.

The door opened, and Serena stepped out, clearly having heard everything.

"Serena we didn't mean!-" Raye began.

Serena shook her head, "It's ok. I know what I have to do, and after that vision I know I have to do it now more than ever," she said sadly.

"Oh Sere... you aren't?" Mina said, her eyes filling with tears.

Serena nodded, "I have to."

.

Darien sat dumbstruck in his apartment staring at a picture of him and Serena.

_Serena, Serenity, Sailor Moon... _he thought numbly. There was no mistaking it now. No wonder she always had to go running off. No wonder he always had to go running off a few moments _after_ her. _Does she know I am Tuxedo Mask?_

Darien thought back to the dream he'd awoken from the night before. For the first time, he had _been in it_. He'd seen Serenity, his princess, and given her a rose. She had called him Endy. It was strange to be in the dream instead of observing it. He didn't know why it had happened, though he now wondered if Serena had the same vision as she had at the hotel a few months ago.

_Does she know she is the Princess?_ he mused.

He suddenly stiffened and his face drained of its colour, _Does she remember Endymion? Does she remember that love?_

Darien felt his heart beating in his chest like a wild animal that had been caged. He suddenly desperately and selfishly wished she didn't know she was the princess.

_But she has to find out some day... _a sad little voice in the back of his mind came.

A knock at the door came, pulling him from his thoughts. He went over and opened it.

"Serena," he whispered.

"Darien..." she sighed looking up at him with her beautiful blue eyes, "We need to talk."

.

A couple minutes later she walked back out that door, closing it behind her with a gentle click. He didn't watch her go, didn't want to.

.

_Flashback._

"_What do you want to talk about Serena?" Darien said, a lump forming in his throat._

"_Us," she'd said quietly._

"_What about us?" he rasped, his voice quavering._

_She'd looked at him then, and he didn't need to hear her speak to know the words she would say._

"_We can't be together anymore."_

_He breathed deeply, determined to keep a hold on his emotions, "Why?"_

"_I... I've just been through a lot lately and I have come... to realise... that I think we aren't ready for each other right now."_

"_What do you mean?" he'd gritted. Images of Prince Endymion and Serenity flickered through his head, and he just knew that he couldn't compete with that, but dammit he would try._

"_It's just... our age gap," she'd murmured._

"_You're lying to me."_

_She gasped softly, looking at him._

"_There's someone else isn't there?" he'd said softly, looking away. He wasn't prepared for her bitter laugh, or her admission._

"_Yeah, I suppose you could say that," she'd sneered softly._

_He blanched. So it was true, Endymion was the reason. He'd never had a chance. He blinked back tears. He would _not_ cry._

"_I'm sorry," she said, getting up to leave. _

_She didn't even look back as the door clicked softly shut behind her._

_End flashback._

.

Now here he sat alone in his apartment again. Alone.

For the first time in a long time, Darien cried himself to sleep.

**EPILOGUE**

Serena crawled into bed. She felt like hell. Only a few days ago she had died, only to be brought back from the very edge of leaving this world by her long dead mother by a crystal that was supposedly her birthright. So easily it could have been Darien who had been on the cusp of death, except who was there in his past life to bring him back? Noone.

Crystalline tears formed in her eyes, gently hugging her cheek as they made their cold journey down her chin to fall against the pillow she held fiercely to her chest. Only yesterday she had remembered the Silver Millenium, even if it were only a little bit. Truly the visions to her were fractured dreams of a past barely remembered. She didn't remember _being_ the Princess, only knowing it was true. She was sure the girls felt the same; knowing their past without really remembering it.

_I'll probably remember everything when we get the Silver Crystal, _she thought morosely.

Though she knew it was her destiny to find and wield the crystal, a part of her stirred up against it. She had always thought they would find the Princess and she would take care of everything. Maybe they could have normal lives, maybe they could fall in love, complete high school and become something less than destiny called them to be if they wanted to. How ironic that she was that Princess.

She groaned and rolled over. _Princess_, the term was so foreign to her. She was hardly princess-like. She was a klutz and someone who needed more than a little help in school. How she ever managed to attract a guy like Darien she didn't know. But it didn't matter now. Things had changed irrevocably and she couldn't bear to put him in anymore danger. It was bad enough when she was just Sailor Moon, when she worried every minute that a NegaVerse attack could happen and Darien would be in danger. Well, _that_ had already happened. Nephrite had seen her talking to Darien and targeted him. It was at that point she had realised she had been selfish to hold onto Darien, holding onto his love to help her through the things that really did go bump in the night. But no more; she had to face this alone. Now she was the Princess and that fact just put him in incredible danger.

_But there is more to it isn't there Princess?_ Her thoughts taunted her, and she frowned at them but didn't deny their truth. Since discovering her identity as the Princess and having the visions, feelings from long ago had bubbled up in her - no matter how unwelcome they were. She had feelings for Endymion. A man she didn't know, or really remember, but knew she had loved deeply. She of all people could hardly deny it, she had died to be with him hadn't she? Well, Serenity had at least, and she was Serenity re-incarnated. Funny how instead of feeling a rush at that she felt more like Serenity recycled. As if life hadn't gotten enough of her before - no, it wanted an encore!

She sighed, rolling over again as she gathered her thoughts. She knew what she wanted and what she had to do. Once she had completed her task she would be free to choose her own destiny, _And to hell with fate._

Decided, she closed her eyes and allowed sleep to overcome her.


	6. SME Part 6: Full Circle

Disclaimer:

I do not own Sailor Moon. Not even one DVD.

This is the sixth, and final, instalment of the Sailor Moon Exposed series.

**FULL CIRCLE**

**Chapter 1: A New Enemy**

Nephrite fell to the ground before his Queen from the dark portal, shaken by what he had seen and experienced.

_The sailor brat is the Princess?_ he thought wildly, torn between laughter and jaw-dropping disbelief.

"Nephrite. Get up. Have you lost your respect for your Queen?"

Beryl's nasal demand forced Nephrite's attention back to the situation at hand, namely staying alive before the psychotic b**** on the throne used her ill gotten power to destroy him. With that in mind, he schooled his features into a respectful visage as he knelt before the throne.

"Report."

"Your highness... Princess Serenity has been found," he intoned blandly, wanting to get the awful news out first and hoping that the loss of the crystal to the Sailor Scouts would go relatively unnoticed by her royal craziness.

"_WHAT?"_

"Your highness, Princess Serenity has been found," he stated again, holding back the desire to smirk at his slave-master. He had no desire to be tortured for taking what little joy he could in the hope that soon the vile woman would be no more. It was enough that he was forced to serve her every whim, it was too much to ask him to enjoy his enforced submission.

"I heard you the first time you insolent wretch!" Beryl sneered, her taloned red nail s digging into the palm of her hand in barely controlled rage, "Pray tell, _dear servant_, how did you find her?"

Nephrite swallowed a lump in his throat, but could not hold back the words from spilling out from his mouth. He could not deny her a thing she asked.

"The crystal, my lady. When she touched it, it brought back memories of the Silver Millennium for myself, the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask. The vision revealed her as the Princess."

Beryl's eyes began to glow with a vicious delight, and Nephrite shuddered at the malice he beheld.

"Who else was in the vision?" she asked eagerly, her previous agitation seemingly forgotten.

Nephrite blinked, unable to understand her interest in a vision of a long dead past, "The Princess, yourself, and the Earth Prince. I, myself, and the Sailor Scouts, were wounded in the sidelines watching on."

Beryl's hoarse cackle suddenly filled the room, her eyes gleaming as they rested upon her ill-favoured slave.

"And the crystal?" she asked sweetly.

Nephrite once again found himself swallowing the growing lump in his throat, "Lost. To the Scouts."

The dark energy exploding from the dark Queen's hand was not unexpected, but still as painful as it always was as it wracked his resurrected body. Nephrite spasmed on the ground, his teeth chattering painfully in his mouth until she let up on her torture.

"Anything else of interest I should know?" she asked sweetly, casually glancing at the red-lacquered nails.

Nephrite pulled himself up again into a kneeling position before motioning to the screen beside him, "This human. She protected him. I believe that he may be a weakness."

A soft gasp escaped Beryl's lips, and Nephrite could not for the life of him wonder if that was a good, or bad, thing.

.

Darien downed his third cup of coffee in the last hour as Andrew watched on with a grimace. It had barely been a week since Serena had broken up with him and the handsome man's coffee addiction had reached new heights.

"Darien. You know if you want to talk-"

"I don't."

"Even so, you should. She's just one girl, a great girl at that, but just one. Give it time, give yourself time. You're both still young... you can look at this as some growing time," Andrew rationalised, his tone showing his concern.

Darien snorted, and Andrew threw his hands up in the air, unable to find the words to soothe his friend's broken heart. Darien couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed of himself at seeing Andrew try so hard to help him, only to get an attitude in return.

"Andrew?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks anyway."

The thanks was mumbled and barely heard, but Andrew grinned anyway. Darien smiled back before tossing some change on the counter and heading out. He knew he should probably stay away from the Arcade if he didnt want to continue to stomp on his own heart with all the memories the place brought back to him. At the same time, the feeling was bittersweet as he recalled the countless dates he and Serena had shared.

Darien shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts, only to lock eyes with the girl he was not trying very hard to forget. For a moment he just stood there on the pavement staring at her from across the street. In that moment he appreciated the way her curly fringe was always just in her eyes, while her odangos sat perfectly centred on either side of her head. He watched the sunlight light up her skin, while the breeze flirted with her school skirt, and in that moment he envied the wind until she broke eye contact with him to continue on her way home.

The moment over, he watched her go; his princess, the girl he had been protecting since he couldn't even remember, and the young woman he had fallen in love with. She took everything she was to him further away with each step and he found himself wondering if he should tell her just who he was. _I am Tuxedo Mask_. He wondered if it would change anything between them; and as she dissappeared around a corner he decided that no, it probably wouldn't. She wanted her Prince, and he was just the poor sod that had come in second.

.

Serena had managed to maintain her calm facade as she walked away from Darien. She had mentally screamed bloody murder at her face to remain passive as their eyes had locked, in spite of the fact she very much wanted to throw herself into his arms and beg forgiveness. But she could not, his safety was too important to her. She kept repeating that to herself as she rounded the corner and out of his sight before bolting toward the Temple where she was to meet Raye and the girls. She ran because she needed to be away from him, lest her feet betray her and lead her straight back to him. In this way she sped up the Temple steps and blew through the doors, her cheeks rosy from the exertion.

"Serena! What's the rush? Is there trouble?" an anxious Ami questioned her, looking back and forward between Serena and the open door.

"No, no. Just wanted the exercise," Serena lied through gritted teeth in an attempt at a smile.

Ami frowned at her, but let the matter go for now. Serena knew the girls were worried about her. It hadnt been long since she had broken up with Darien, _and_ the Negaverse had been suspiciously quiet. It was no long stretch of the imagination to guess that the evil buggers were plotting away in their dark little corner of the universe. Now that they definitely knew she was the Princess, she would become a major target for them.

"Serena, I'm glad to see you hear on time. Girls, come now and sit down. We have much to discuss," Luna bossed them from her position on the couch arm.

Serena slumped gratefully onto a cushion, tired from her run before turning her eyes to Luna.

"Artemis and I have decided what to do about the crystals we have now. Right now, we have four crystals. Tuxedo Mask has two, and there is still one more out there somewhere. As the Negaverse now knows that Serena is the Princess, we must be cautious because she is now a target. At the same time, the crystal's must be protected for they are our only hope against defeating Queen Beryl," the little black cat explained before taking another breath, "As such, we have decided that each of you girls will carry one crystal each, with the exception of Serena. In this way, the crystal's will be spread between you and decrease the likelihood of any one of you becoming more of a target than you already are."

"That sounds reasonable," Lita piped up from her seat, with each of the girls nodding their agreement.

"Yes, we thought so too. So from now on, you must protect eachother. Always be together in two's or three's, or at the very least have Artemis or I with you so that we can call for help while you defend yourself. It is imperative that we protect Serena and each of the crystals. _Do not get caught alone_," Luna warned severely, her yellow eyes narrowing at each of them.

"What about Tuxedo Mask?" Mina asked, "He has two crystals. Won't he be a target too?"

"He is not the threat we are. The Negaverse will likely leave him for last when their power is secured. That, and he has only ever appeared when the Sailor Scouts have appeared. In your civilian forms you should be relatively safe, unless your identities are discovered," Artemis stated, shooting Serena a meaningful look, which caused her to blush at his implication, "Besides, as we do not know who he is, we cannot protect him. He has not trusted us nor proven he can be trusted. We must stay vigilant, as must he."

.

"You called, my Queen?" Nephrite queried respectfully as he stood before the marble throne.

"Yes, General Nephrite. I want the human Darien brought here. I expect he will be instrumental in the moon brat's defeat," she commanded airily, her demeanour seemingly nonchalant.

Nephrite nodded once before turning away and transporting to the other Generals. He knew the Queen better than that. She wanted more than for the human to be just a pawn. He'd read the anticipation in her gleaming green, greed-filled eyes, and he shuddered to think just what she wanted with the boy.

"Jadeite, Zoicite, Malachite, we have orders," he said miserably, slouching down into a chair to watch Jadeite and Zoicite play their chess game for a moment.

It was one of the few pleasures the Generals had.

"What does she want now?" Malachite sneered, his posture angry and defiant with his arms folded tensely across his broad chest.

"A new toy?" Jadeite jeered, moving his knight to take Zoicite's bishop.

"A new enemy, more like," Nephrite murmured.

"The plan?" Malachite drawled.

"The usual. Set a youma onto the populace as a diversion while we kidnap the target," Nephrite responded absently.

He had never tried to be creative when it came to the Sailor Scouts. It was one of the few ways he could get around the curse upon him. He might be forced into slavery, but in his own little ways he could set the stage for Beryl's defeat. He looked up to see the other Generals nodding at him and he sighed before rubbing a hand over his brow tiredly.

"Let's get this done then."

An hour, one youma and one successful kidnapping later Darien Chiba lay peacefully in a dark chamber as waves of dark energy poured over his unconscious body. The Generals took turns watching over the young man, watching sadly on as his features turn from soft, yielding humanity into a sneering, cold visage.

**Chapter 2: Prince Endymion**

Beryl sat straight-backed on her throne, determined to look like the Queen she had always deserved to be, but had never become thanks to the moon brat who had stolen her Prince from her. Malachite could not help but notice that she never truly managed to look like a Queen, at least not like the picture of poise and compassion Queen Selenity made. It was in her face; over time the one-time beauty had been overcome by the bone-deep ugliness that had twisted her features into a constant sneer. _Not to mention the crow-lines_, Malachite thought with malicious glee. A nudge from Nephrite saw him school his features back to impassivity. It would not do to be noticed even slightly smirking with Beryl around. The insecure wretch always assumed they were disrespecting her... and she was more often than not correct in her assumption.

"Enter," Beryl drawled, her tone unusually husky.

Malachite suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at her, knowing full well that her relatively good mood was because she'd managed to find, kidnap and ultimately turn Prince Endymion over to the Negaverse. The turn of events had Malachite worried, Prince Endymion was a formidable man. The white haired man watched as the Prince strode forward all the natural grace and arrogance his royal lineage had imbued in him before dropping to one knee. Even in his submissive position, his posture was all casual elegance. Malachite could not fault Beryl for desiring the man, and wondered just for how long Prince Endymion would remain submissive to the crazy woman.

"Prince Endymion. You are most welcome here in the Negaverse and I am glad to bid you welcome," Beryl purred, her eyes eating up the sight of the Prince kneeling before her.

Endymion raised his eyes to respond, "It is my pleasure. I thank you for the welcome," he spoke crisply, his tone coolly formal.

Malachite heard Nephrite swallow a snort of laughter beside him and was hard pressed to keep himself from smacking the fool across the back of the head. Beryl might hate a hint of a smirk, but she would be livid if anyone dare laugh at her. Nephrite was taking his life in his hands. Even so, he kept his eyes forward and on his Queen and her intended consort. Endymion's formality would surely disappoint her hopes.

"I look forward to working _closely_ with you," Beryl murmured intimately, uncrossing one leg to cross the other over it.

Malachite's eyebrows nearly shot off the top of his head, but he pulled himself together. He shouldn't be surprised that the royal pain-in-everyone's-ass would be so dense as to not recognise a brush off when she got one.

"Indeed. Speaking of which, may I present to you the two crystals I have procured during my time as Tuxedo Mask," Endymion replied, clearly ignoring her blatant attempt at flirtation, as well as changing the subject. "I know the scouts have four other crystals, and one remains to be claimed. I believe it is imperative that the Negaverse obtain the last available crystal to ensure a relatively equal stake in ownership of the Imperium Silver Crystal. I have already drawn up a plan of attack to retrieve it," he continued brusquely, pulling said plans from his sub-space pocket.

Beryl's eyes flicked over the plans before returning to Endymion, "And the Sailor Brat? You will no doubt encounter her?" she queried with a deliberate casualness that belied the fact she was holding her breath waiting for his answer.

Malachite could not help but lean forward at little as he, and the other generals, too waited for the answer.

Endymion lifted an eyebrow toward Beryl, "What about the brat?" he replied evenly, his mouth curling into the slightest of sneers, "Never mind her," he suddenly added, his tone dismissive, "What is important is that I retain the crystals on my person. I will need them to locate the seventh crystal."

Malachite thought the reply to be quite vague, but Beryl clearly took it as a sign of apathy as her face broke into a broad, yet strangely twisted, smile.

"Indeed. Go to it and retrieve the final crystal Prince Endymion. Your reward awaits you on your return."

Malachite swallowed his own snort of laughter as the Prince bowed before the red head. He wondered how his Prince would go getting out of his reward when he returned. Better yet, he wondered how the man would be punished if he failed.

_Probably the same treatment_, he thought glumly, knowing Beryl would never torture her obsession. At the same time he found himself quite grateful to be tortured... how much worse would it be to have to fight of her constant flirtations? Yes, he would take the torture any day.

.

"Serena, I can't believe you ate the last sushi roll!" Raye grouched over the picnic basket, seeing the empty container.

"I can!" Lita laughed, poking Serena in the side causing the girl in question to grunt in pain.

"What a great day. The sun is shining, the birds are singing..." Mina mused nearby on the blanket they had brought.

"Yep, perfect boyfriend-free day," Lita agreed, grabbing a dumpling and tossing it in her mouth.

"Hey look, is that Greg?" Serena asked through mouthfuls of curry and rice, her pink-painted finger pointing in the direction of a brunette boy reading on a park bench.

"It might be," Ami mumbled, a blush rising to her cheeks.

"You should go talk to him!" Serena squealed, smiling widely at her friend.

"But... its ah... that is to say... it's a boyfriend free day!" Ami squeaked, nervous at the prospect of approaching her crush.

"It sure is," Mina agreed before pulling Ami up and giving her a slight shove in Greg's direction, "But since Greg isn't your boyfriend, and this isn't a _boy_-free day, you can go talk to him!"

The girls laughed while Ami turned a light shade of pink. With a lot more insisting the girls finally managed to have her edge over to him as they pretended not to look – even though all the while sneaking glances over toward them.

"I wish he'd hurry up and ask her out. Those two have been dancing around each other for _ages_," Raye huffed before biting into a curry puff pastry.

"They're just shy," Serena mumbled, at once glad for her friend and yet also slightly envious and saddened by her own recent break up. She refused to think about it thought and purposefully smiled brightly, "This was a great idea, Mina. Boyfriends! Bah hum-bug!"

"But I hope he asks her out," Lita sighed, resting her chin in her hand.

"Me too," Raye, Mina and Serena sighed back, their faces dreamy.

.

Steel blue eyes watched the happy blonde across the park, his thoughts organised and neatly sorted as he schemed. Endymion may have been seduced to the dark side, but instead of being brainwashed every memory he'd once had locked away in his mind had come to the fore. He knew he was Prince Endymion of Earth, just as surely as the sun rose in the morning, and not because Beryl had said it was so. It had surprised him somewhat to have two sets of memories from both his lives, but he found their presence quite useful. On the one hand, he retained his years of battle experience and wisdom. On the other, he was able to blend into a crowd in this modern day world.

It had not taken too long for Metallia to tempt him over to the Negaverse. Not that it wasn't a respectable time that he'd remained staunchly opposed to joining the entity. Her promise to return to him everything he'd once had, had however spoken volumes to him, and he'd communicated his interest in such a trade. Metallia would be freed from her prison to go elsewhere in the universe, and he would live to rule over the Earth as was meant to be. A fair trade, he supposed, but again one he did not fully trust. He had no intention of just handing over the Silver Imperium Crystal when it was revealed. He was no fool.

He continued to watch the four girls watching their friend, and smiled cruelly. They would be no match for him, and he decided he would perhaps show mercy to them if they did not stand in his way. It would be best if he could at least refrain from directly engaging them in battle. After all, no girl would appreciate being courted by the man who'd attacked her friends. Yes, he would have his way, his kingdom and finally his Queen. He would have everything taken from him in his last life, and denied to him in this one. He made a motion with his hand, and a dark portal appeared.

"Sic 'em," he grinned at the monster within its inky blackness, "And mind Sailor Moon. I have a particular interest in her."

"Yes, master," the beast grumbled respectfully before turning its green eyes onto the crowded park.

.

A scream, followed by a dozen more yells, suddenly brought the peacefulness of the park to a crashing halt. The girls snapped their heads toward the sound to see a hulking, ape-like monster pinning victims to the ground and stealing their energy through large suckers on its hands. With eight arms, the monster was a mass of orange fur and fingers as it attacked the park goers.

"We have to find somewhere to transform!" Raye whispered harshly, pulling Serena with one hand and Lita with the other.

"Crap! But where?" Serena cried, looking frantically around for a safe place to transform.

"The toilets! Hurry!" Mina yelled, running ahead of them and into the toilets.

The girls barrelled into the girl's side only to find several frightened teenagers hiding in their. They quickly turned around and flung themselves into the disabled toilet before locking it behind them.

"This is going to suck," Raye muttered, brandishing her transformation pen.

"You're telling me," Mina grumbled.

The girls flung their pen-hands up into the air, the small space in the single toilet causing them to hit their arms together. As one, they cried out their henshin, and the power of the transformation took them over as a bright light grew around each and every one of them. The power of the transformation saw their lights fight with one another for supremacy as the girls were dressed in their Sailor Fuku. Heads butted and legs were tangled, until finally the power behind the five transformations in one small space grew too much. The door exploded, and the five Sailor Scouts were tossed out and onto the grass in an ugly heap of arms, legs and hair.

"Get _off_ me!"

"Get off _me!_"

"_Geroffamu!_" came a muffled screech from beneath a mop of hair.

The girls quickly scrambled to their feet, glaring momentarily at eachother before turning and facing the monster, which was currently sending them a quizzical look.

"What are _you_ looking at?" Sailor Mars huffed at the creature as she rubbed her hands together, sparks shooting from between her palms.

"Yeah, you great big ugly... what is that Sailor Mercury?" Sailor Venus questioned.

Mercury only shrugged back as she typed furiously away on her computer.

"It's kinda cute," Sailor Moon observed, her head tilted at the furry youma.

"In a strange, Chucky kinda way," Sailor Jupiter added.

The monster, at that point, breathed fire at the girls, sending them running with a flurry of surprised squeals from the scorching flames which licked at their skirts.

"The weakness is in its throat," Sailor Mercury calculated, putting her visor away.

The monster breathed fire at them again, its hands still pulling the energy from its victims.

"How on _earth_ are we supposed to hit its throat when every time it opens its mouth it breathes _fire_?" Jupiter shouted.

Mercury shrugged again.

Sailor Moon stepped strategically out of the sight of the monster, knowing from experience that the girls would tire it out so that she could launch the final attack. Glancing around the tree trunk she was currently hidden behind, she smiled as the girls managed to distract the monster long enough for Sailor Venus to wrap her love-chain around its victims and pull them to safety. It's prey gone, the monster charged for them.

"A pretty rose for the pretty lady?" a cold voice spoke from her side.

She turned abruptly to face the voice, and was surprised to see a young man covered in a black uniform of sorts with silver detailing. A sword was holstered at his hip, his face obscured behind a black skull mask, which in turn was covered by his long black fringe.

_He doesn't look like a general_, Sailor Moon noted, but was immediately on guard. Any unknown person straying voluntarily into range of any youma was automatically under suspicion. She looked down at the black rose he held out to her in his hand, and stepped away.

"And you are?"

"Why, Princess, I'm offended you don't remember me," he leered, a smirk twisting his features.

She looked him over again, from head to toe and back again. She looked him in the eyes and shrugged. He narrowed his gaze in return.

"Well then let me formally introduce myself... again. I am Prince Endymion, of Earth," he spoke with flourish, bowing at the waist.

She took another step back, an outraged gasp escaping her lips. He took another forward.

"Or perhaps you would remember me better as my other self..." he said as he phased into a very familiar figure indeed.

Sailor Moon angrily bared her teeth at seeing Tuxedo Mask standing before her.

"You _snake_, it was you all along!" she hissed angrily, her blue eyes shooting icicles at him.

"Indeed it was, Serena," he said smoothly.

"And how long have you known _that_?" she ground out.

"Since the holidays," he replied equally, examining his nails.

Sailor Moon felt as if she were about to explode. Her round little face grew red, while her eyes narrowed into tiny slits in her face. She inhaled and then exhaled deliberately, then counted to ten. Glaring once more at him, she turned away to the youma, deciding she would deal with _him_ later.

"Do you like my monster?" he asked from behind her, his breath ghosting across the back of her neck.

She gaped, her anger forgotten momentarily as she took in his words.

"_Your_ monster?" she gasped, unable to comprehend her one time ally had seemingly suddenly switched sides.

"Yes. _My_ monster," he cooed, playing with a lock of her hair.

"_Why_? _What_? _How_?" she sputtered.

He leaned in close to her, his chest pressing lightly against her back, "Because, my dear sweet heroine, I am tired of waiting for you. You and I have unfinished business, and I intend to have what was always meant to be mine."

Sailor Moon's breath left her in a whoosh, and she gulped down the lump in her throat. This was what she had been dreading. This was what she was fighting against, - her destiny. She felt his hands caress her arms while he nuzzled his nose against her cheek.

"We will be great together, Serenity, Serena. Come away with me," he whispered into her ear, kissing the lobe.

She shuddered and in that moment remembered her previous anger. _He_ had _known_ that she was the Princess since the holidays. _He_ had been _using_ her, knowing she was the Princess. _He_ had betrayed them and joined the Negaverse...

_He was in a lot of trouble._

She flung herself out of his arms and with a yell spun her body around to lash her leg out at him with a roundhouse kick. He was momentarily surprised, but managed to dodge the kick with a large step backward. The second her leg sped past him, he lunged forward to grab her arms and thrust her backwards into the tree trunk. She grunted with the impact, but kept her glare steadily on him.

"There are _no_ _words _for what you have done," she growled, struggling against his grip.

He leant forward, his face mere inches from her as he growled back at her, "I'm sure there are plenty. Make no mistake _Serena_, I _will_ have what I want. I _will_ have the crystals, _all of them, _and when I do you will have _no choice_ but to be by my side, _where you belong might I add_, else I will hand them over to Beryl."

"_I'll never join you_," she shouted back, hot tears stinging at her eyes.

He chuckled lowly at her, "We shall see, my dear," he said softly, brushing his fingers along her cheek. He looked up and behind her, then returned his gaze to hers, "You had best run along now, you're up."

He stepped back from her, folding his arms as a black portal opened and he disappeared through it. She did not take her eyes from him until the portal closed. It was then she turned to watch the fight and saw indeed that the monster was beaten to its knees. Taking her tiara from her forehead, she threw it just as it opened its mouth to give one last deadly firey breath. The tiara tore through the weak spot, and the monster disappeared as ashes into the wind.

Breathless, tired and more than a little overwhelmed, she rejoined the celebrating girls, unhappy to be the one to burst their victory bubble.

"Guys, we have a problem."

**Chapter 3: Confrontation**

"Tuxedo Mask has joined the _Negaverse_?!" Mina shrieked in disbelief, her blue eyes wide with shock.

Serena nodded, her movements stiff and reflecting the anger bubbling just beneath the surface, "Yes. I saw him myself. He decided to make a big show of his coming out. I _knew_ he was bad news. He might have played nice at the start, but he revealed himself big time on the holidays. It's a real shame I didn't hit him even harder when I had the chance," she groused, remembering the time she smacked his handsome face across the ice at the hotel. Her fist ached in satisfaction at the memory of it.

"You know what this means. The Negaverse now has two of the crystals," Ami said fearfully, her hands wringing a handkerchief in her lap.

"That _stupid_, _backstabbing... traitor!_" Raye raged, throwing pots and pans around in the kitchen as she cursed the masked man, "When I get my hands on him, so help me..."

"It's a good thing then that we have all decided to carry a crystal each. With another enemy on our hands, and with two of the crystals gone to them as well..." Lita observed, her fist smacking into her palm as she thought through the situation at hand, "Well, it's going to be... well... it's going to be -"

"A _nightmare_," Mina groaned into her hands as she hung her head.

"Yes. In one word, a nightmare," Lita agreed, "But nothing we can't handle."

"There's more," Serena muttered lowly, knowing that she had to tell the girls everything.

"What more could there _be_?" Mina wailed, unable to comprehend how Tuxedo Mask – who she _knew_ was completely devoted to Serena, could switch sides.

"Tuxedo Mask revealed himself to be Prince Endymion," Serena replied through gritted teeth, her nails digging into her palms.

"Prince _Endymion_?" the girls shouted, shocked.

"Yes. And he is determined to have m-... the crystals," Serena added, slightly stuttering on what she had almost unwillingly revealed.

"But he was our ally in the Silver Millenium! We saw the visions! He loved you!" Mina cried out again, outraged.

"We were wrong. Or the visions were misleading. Either way, when we meet him, or his blasted generals, we'll kick his sorry ass," Lita grinned enthusiastically, imagining giving cape-boy a good swift kick up the rear with a lightning bolt, or two... or ten.

"I'm afraid you're wrong there Lita. We cannot lose Serena, and we cannot lose the crystals. Too much is riding on this," Luna said suddenly, jumping up onto the open window ledge from the garden outside.

Artemis followed her, "Luna and I have been talking. If you ever encounter Tuxedo Mask- er, Prince Endymion, or the generals alone, you are to run until help arrives. You cannot face them alone. It's too risky," the white cat commanded.

The girls made a face at the order, but nodded their compliance. Artemis had years of battle experience and wanted nothing more than for the girls to be safe... or as safe as they could be given their secret identities.

"Go to school girls, and stay safe. Travel together as much as you can. _Do not get caught alone_," Artemis ordered before leaping onto Mina's shoulder.

The girls bid their goodnight's as they left the Shrine; Mina with Serena and Lita with Ami. Serena waved goodbye to them as they dissappeared around a corner. She turned her face forward to breath in the evening air, glad the weekend was upon them. The walk home with Mina was relatively uneventful. She didn't feel like talking, and Mina knew her well enough to know it. That didn't stop her trying as she lay on Serena's bedroom floor in her Sailor Mercury Pyjamas (a gag gift the girls had gotten her last christmas).

"Serena, are you okay? Like, really okay?" Mina whispered in the dark.

Serena sighed, "I'm fine Mina. Really. Just really peeved. He _knew_ it was me. He said he'd known who I was since the holidays... and he still joined the Negaverse. I just feel really... betrayed," she sniffed, wiping a few stray tears away. "He really helped me before I found you guys, you know?"

Mina nodded in the dark, "Don't give up on him yet. I don't know what's happened, but... I dunno. I just have this feeling that there is more going on."

Serena bit her lip, preventing the words from spilling out. _You're right, the psycho ghost from my past wants me... well, the Princess, back._ She rolled over onto her side, whispering a goodnight to Mina as she added in her mind, _And a part of me wants him back too._

_._

Prince Endymion strode through the halls of the darkened palace, his thoughts centering around the blonde nymph that plagued his waking and sleeping hours. He revelled in his desire for her, the exquisite agony it brought him, because he knew that the moment he finally had her that it would be all the sweeter for him. He marvelled at the level of his want for her. Never had he before realised how much he needed her; wanted her beside him.

"My Prince," a deep voice intoned from the shadows, snapping Endymion to attention as the white blonde general revealed himself.

"Malachite," Endymion replied evenly, his eyes searching over the man before him.

"I have not had the chance to tell you how pleased I am to be in your service again," Malachite said softly, his eyes showing his sincerity.

Endymion inclined his head, "Queen Beryl is gracious."

Malachite raised an eyebrow, "Our liege is not here at this moment. She has business with Metallia," the double meaning clear to Endymion.

"So you may speak freely," Endymion invited his general, a smirk alighting his lips.

Malachite smirked back, "So I can. We are yours, Endymion. For as long as Beryl reigns we are yours."

"For as long as she reigns?" Endymion inquired, "And when she no longer reigns?"

Malachite winced slightly, "We are shadows and dust, my Prince. Without her, we will cease to be."

Endymion felt a stab of sadness at the remark, but nodded without reply. He would not deny the general's their pride. They would die with honour, serving their Prince rather than the madwoman claiming to be a Queen. Endymion turned away from Malachite, the gesture in itself accepting the General's service.

"Do not hurt the scouts – or do so as little as you can. I have business with the Princess," Endymion commanded Malachite over his shoulder, his tone deliberately casual to hide the previous intensity with which he had been thinking of Serena.

Despite his tone, Malachite nevertheless smirked as he bowed his head to his Prince, "Of course, I understand completely."

Endymion wrinkled his nose at Malachite briefly, resisting the urge to snort at the general's subtle teasing of his liege. He knew he was whipped; he hardly needed anyone else pointing it out to him.

.

The days passed by relatively uneventfully for the girls. They however knew better than to let their guard down. Prince Endymion was back, and from what they could remember of their past lives he was a formidable commander with extensive battle experience. He was testing them, sending out small attacks every so often to discover their weaknesses. Serena found herself to be more than slightly anxious, jumping a little every time a car backfired or someone snuck up on her unawares. The youma she fought were not overly powerful, sent largely to gather power rather than cause damage. She could only wonder why the Negaverse were wasting everyone's time. They wasted their own energy when they sent out a youma that did little but die, and they wasted her time as she struggled to make excuses to family and friends as to why she suddenly had to run off. It was quite inconsiderate of them if she had to put a word to it.

Even so, she couldn't help but grudgingly appreciate the fact that the Negaverse had kept her busy. It had stopped her thinking too much about Darien and how he was going. She knew she had hurt him when she'd ended their relationship, and could only hope he would understand when it was all over... if it was all over before he found someone else and moved on before they had a chance together again, that is.

Thinking about him made her realise that she had not seen him for quite some time. Not even a peep of his red convertible, or his black motorbike, out cruising around Tokyo. She would know, it wasn't like her eyes wouldn't snap to attention whenever a bright red sports car rolled by, or her ears caught the sound of a motorbike at full throttle.

The school bell rang, signalling the end of the day. She packed her things and made her way out of the school toward home, as was her ritual. Luna had stressed that she was to go _straight home_ after school to ensure her safety, and Serena was getting pretty tired of that old routine. It was bad before when she was klutzy Sailor Moon, it was worse now she was the Princess. She barely felt like the Princess most of the time anyway.

"Serena! Phone for you!" her mother called from the kitchen, jarring her from her thoughts.

"Yeah mum, thanks, I got it!" she called back, picking up the phone in the family room, "Hello, Serena here."

"It's Mina. Good, I'm glad you're home," the bouncy blonde's voice chimed through the phone.

Serena grimaced at being so obviously checked on, "Yes, I'm home. Where are you?"

"At the arcade. Andrew and I have a date," Mina giggled back.

"How is Andrew, seeing as I haven't been out... oh anywhere since I don't know when," Serena snarked back, poking her tongue out at the phone.

"He's good. A bit worried though..."

"About what?"

"Um... well...," Mina hummed and hawed, stalling.

"Just say it Mina. What about Darien?" Serena sighed, shifting her weight to the other foot and the phone to the other shoulder.

"Andrew says he hasn't seen him in a while. Says that he went to Darien's apartment the other day and noone answered. He asked the doorman about it and he said that the owner requested the place be cleaned and locked up for a while..."

"Darien owns the apartment," Serena observed flatly.

"Yeah..." Mina replied softly, "I'm sorry Serena. It sounds like he's gone on holiday for a while or something. Andrew's still worried though. He was sure Darien would leave him a note at least."

"At the very least," Serena repeated, her eyes unfocussed on the wall ahead of her, "I have to go Mina," she added abruptly.

Barely waiting for Mina to say goodbye, Serena hung up the phone before going up to her room, opening the window and disappearing into the night.

.

Sailor Moon leapt silently down onto the balcony several floors below the roof of the apartment building, her feet easily finding the narrow ledge before she hopped down onto the tiled concrete. Her eyes darted around the loungeroom as she slid the glass balcony door open. The wind darted through the gap and stirred up the white sheets covering the furniture. Moving forward, she inspected the empty apartment with a heavy heart before slumping onto the cloth covered couch. He was safe, and that's what mattered.

"I didn't think breaking and entering was in the job description of a scout," _his_ deep voice drawled from the open balcony door, causing every muscle in her body to stiffen with dread.

"I suppose stalking is in yours?" she snapped back, rising up from the couch to face him.

He strode several steps forward into the apartment, "It's called being persistent."

She eyed the balcony door behind him, and wondered just how far away the front door was. She could possibly ram straight through it... but it would cause a fair bit of noise at this time of night. The balcony was a better option. If only she could get there. She stepped slightly to the side and backwards, hoping to mislead him into thinking she was going further into the apartment.

"It's called not being able to take no for an answer," she snapped back, taking another step to the side.

He stepped around the couch and she stepped to the other side, ensuring that at least one solid object stayed between them.

"Come on now Sailor Moon, I remember a time when a smile from dear old Tuxedo Mask would have you panting after, well, _me_. In fact, let's not forget our brief, if secret, affair," he jeered, taunting her.

"Yeah well, everyone is entitled to make mistakes. Rest assured its not one I'll be repeating," she replied vehemently, moving again as he took another step toward her.

"I don't see why not. We had fun, both in the past and very recently. I was your hero, you my sweet little heroine. Now here we are, you a Princess, and me your Prince, our future awaiting us," he said silkily, his eyes dark with carnal promise.

"You're no Prince of mine," she snipped warily, backing away from him, "Fate might have pushed us together at one point, but I'll be making up my own mind this t-"

Her voice was cut off by the feeling of his lips suddenly slamming down onto hers as she was roughly yanked away from the door she had previously been edging toward. Her cry of shock was muffled by the kiss, and while she knew she should be struggling to free herself she found she just didn't really want to. He'd more than re-awakened the part of her that remembered him, and his divine kisses. For a moment her body and lips softened against the hard planes of his armour plated frame, until horror shot through her and with a soft scream of dismay she shoved him away and launched herself out the balcony doors and home as fast as her feet could take her.

Prince Endymion watched her go with grim satisfaction. She wanted him still, a thousand years hadn't changed that simple fact. He would be damned if he'd give up now.

**Chapter 4:** **Suishoo Koi**

Beryl lounged on her throne, her thin red lips pouted in a petulant scowl as she contemplated Prince Enydmion. The man just wasn't responding to her flirtations, and Metallia was of no help – when she'd complained that the entity seemed to have sucked the very passion out of the man the green mist had laughed at her. She was quite put out and couldn't think of any other reason why Endymion wouldn't want her. He'd forgotten the moon brat and was on her side... yet while she paraded around in ever more revealing clothes he remained positively focussed on finding the Crystals. She could only wonder what had gone wrong in his transition chamber, the man was too damn focussed!

e.

Ignoring the generals, who were quietly snickering at her obvious distress, the dark Queen straightened her back with a sigh before tossing her hair over her shoulder. She'd come this far, and having Endymion at her side was her trump card. _Finally_ she had won him away from the moon brat. Things were _finally_ going the way they were supposed to; _her way_.

"Prince Endymion, your highness," a demon rasped, bowing awkwardly toward the throne at its waist.

Beryl waved the demon away, her eyes scrutinising the handsome man who's stepped out of the shadows.

"And you have been _where_?" she asked him silkily, tapping her nails impatiently on the arm rests of the throne.

"Locating the third crystal, my queen, what else would I be doing but to serve you?" he replied with a bow, his blue eyes bright in contrast to the darkened room.

Beryl resisted the urge to snort. She wasn't foolish. She had not survived so long in the world on mere luck. Nevertheless, she couldn't deny _him_ a thing. Grumbling to herself under her breath, she vowed to kill Sailor Moon once and for all, as soon as she could.

.

Serena sat smiling in the booth at the Arcade at the four girls she called her best friends. Mina was flirting wildly with Andrew, while Ami and Greg chatted shyly over their homework as Raye and Lita raced the cars toward the back. All in all, it was a peaceful scene given how hard they had been fighting the past few weeks. Serena could hardly believe how many youma she had moon-dusted in that time, but it worried her more when the Negaverse was quiet like this.

She hadn't seen much of Endymion during the attacks. They had only been the youma, and a very low level youma at that. The generals had turned up, usually one alone, and rather than fight they seemed to prefer to simply sit there and watch the battle for a time. Even when Jupiter had sent a thunderbolt at one, he'd just dodged the attack without attacking back. It had been a very strange time.

"Hey," a voice said beside her.

Serena looked up at the teen boy.

"I'm Adrian, you're Serena?" he said shyly, smiling at her.

"Yeah," she replied, her eyes glancing at him with curiosity.

"I... uh... just wanted to-" he managed to stutter out before she cut him off.

"Sorry, I have to go. Maybe next time," she said smoothly, sliding out of her seat.

He nodded awkwardly and turned away. She watched him go sadly, then turned to walk out the arcade doors. She knew she shouldn't be alone, but she needed some time to herself. She could hardly believe she had actually kissed _him_ back. It was bad enough that she was confused over her identity as the Princess and what that meant for her future, but to have actually felt that attraction for Endymion take her over had frightened her just as much as it had excited her. It was a double blow that Endymion was also Tuxedo Mask.

She had always had a crush on her masked hero, but now he had gone over to the Negaverse she could never consider acting on any feelings for him. That, and she still loved Darien... wherever he might be now, which was thankfully not where he could be in danger. She was especially grateful that he'd left when he did, since Tuxedo Mask knew her civilian identity had been dating someone – not that she'd told the girls that Endymion knew her civilian identity. It was hard enough for them to constantly watch over her and the crystals, she didn't want them to wipe themselves out with worry over another thing.

Seeing a rock on the ground, she kicked at it and watched as it ran ahead of her. Coming to it again, she gave it another kick, when a loud cry rent the air. She looked up to see an explosion of brightly coloured green dust come from the Tokyo Tower. She sighed and got her communicator. It seemed that the Sailor Scouts were needed once again.

.

Endymion nodded to the generals as they hid awaiting the Scout's arrival. Looking back, he'd realised very quickly that in order to obtain the crystals, Sailor Moon had had to heal the victim before the crystal would appear. He didn't quite understand how it worked, but he knew the process.

So here he waited with bated breath, waiting for his Princess to arrive. He'd deliberately kept his distance from her, biding his time. He didn't want to scare her off, nor did he want to alarm her. He would strike at the opportune time – when he had all the crystals. He knew, just _knew_ that when she had her memories back, as he did, she would come to him again. She wouldn't be able to stop herself. They were meant to be and had been given a second chance. They would destroy Beryl together and rule the Solar System.

The monster's cry alerted him to the Scouts' arrival, and he fiddled for the two crystals hidden in his pocket. He'd taken a risk to get this third crystal, he could only hope it paid off. Beryl's advances on him had thus far been bearable, but she was an impatient woman and would not be denied for long. He needed that third crystal.

.

Sailor Moon leapt behind a column as the crystal carrier sent a large blast of air toward her. The column shook with the impact, but held. It was always difficult fighting the crystal carriers – the innocent person inside them could be saved, except the monster outside was trying to kill anyone in sight!

She breathed deeply, trying to get some much needed oxygen into her lungs. She heard Jupiter launch a thunder attack at the monster, and took the opportunity to leap behind another column, knowing she had to keep moving.

"Venus Love-Chain!" Sailor Venus cried out, catching the monster in the golden links.

"I call upon the power of Mars!" Sailor Mars shouted, throwing her curse upon the youma to weaken it.

It was her cue.

Sailor Moon stepped up beside Mars, waiting until the youma slumped in the chains, weakened from the curse, before she cast her healing spell.

"Moon healing, _activation_!"

The light shone true to the crystal carrier, the person inside fading into view as the monster disappeared. She sighed with happiness, glad to save another innocent.

"Well done, and thank you Sailor Moon," Endymion crowed, launching himself from his hiding place in the rafters above.

She gasped, but reacted with all the speed of a Sailor Scout.

"Suishoo koi!"

The crystal came speeding toward her, and she reached a hand out for the crystal until it paused in mid air. Her eyes darted toward Endymion, who help two crystals in the palm of his hand as he used them to attract the crystal to him.

_This isn't happening!_ she mentally screamed before shouting again, "_Suishoo KOI!_"

The crystal wavered, and the generals and scouts watched in muted fascination and horror as the cyrstal wavered between their Princess, and their sister crystals.

Sailor Moon held onto her focus, calling the crystals to her, their rightful owner. She fought not to look at Endymion, who was directly within her line of sight. But she could see him in her periphery vision. The crystals wavered toward him, and he smirked in victory. It was in that moment her confidence collapsed and her focus broke, allowing the crystals to turn to their sister crystals in the palm of Endymion's outstretched hand.

Sailor Moon watched as if in slow motion he glanced down at the three crystals, then to her with a predatory look, before fading away into the Negaverse. The generals disappeared with him, leaving the shocked girls standing alone on the Tokyo Tower.

"What _happened_?" Jupiter stormed, stomping her foot in agitation, "Sailor Moon _had_ those crystals! How could _he_ get them?"

None of the girls moved but for Sailor Mercury's quick fingers moving over her keyboard. Seconds passed until she finally exhaled a loud breath.

"_I know what happened."_

**Chapter 5:** **An Offer She Can't Refuse**

Endymion stared in wonder and triumph at the _three_ crystals in his hand. The generals looked on in shock and awe, impressed by Enydmion's success. He'd achieved what they had only dreamed, especially since Beryl had 'dealt' with Jadeite for his continued failures. The generals exchanged glances with each other, the question resonating in each of them revealed in their eyes: _How?_

Zoicite cleared his throat, "I... er – believe that I know how this happened," he said, gesturing toward the crystals in Endymion's hand.

The generals turned their head's toward him. Endymion remained still, and staring at the crystals, a small smile beginning to curl upon his face.

"Prince Endymion held _two_ crystals in his hand. Sailor Moon had none. Being the Moon Princess means that-", Zoicite paused momentarily, not wanting to say that Sailor Moon was the rightful owner of the crystals. The walls had ears, he knew. "What I mean to say is," he continued, "is that while Sailor Moon has an _affinity _with the crystals by her heritage, the crystals ultimately want to be reunited. She had no crystals with her. She hasn't been carrying any of late," he finished, pleased to be the one to explain the mystery.

He saw Endymion look up at him to give the man a nod, and Zoicite puffed up a little in pride. Endymion must have known that the crystals would react like that with eachother. It was an excellent deduction.

"What do you mean Sailor Moon is not carrying any crystals? They belong... that is to say, she is the Moon Princess. Why are they not with her?" Nephrite spoke up, curious as to the turn of events.

"I have been watching the scouts. Each of them, save for Sailor Moon, carry a single crystal with them. It is rather ingenious actually," Zoicite replied, scratching his head, "It is a good defense. Not one girl is more of a target than the others. That, combined with their partnering means that we have never been able to get one of them alone long enough to disable her and take the crystal she is carrying."

"So how are we to get the crystals if we cannot get to them? They have become more and more powerful... it would be suicide to simply attack them now and attempt a forced handover," Malachite observed, rubbing his chin.

Zoicite shrugged, "We can only hope to get them alone. It is a shame that we do not know their civilian identities. It would be helpful."

Endymion pursed his lips at Zoicite's statement, both unnerved and grateful for the information, before speaking up, "Then since we cannot get them alone... the crystals appear, for the moment, unobtainable."

"Well, my dears, if the crystals are not obtainable, then we must do what we _can_ do. Gather energy my soldiers, we shall increase in power until such a time comes when we are in a position to take the crystals. Until then, if an opportunity arises, _take it_," Beryl hissed at them, revealing herself as she stepped out from the shadows behind her throne.

The generals automatically straightened their backs whilst breathing a sigh of relief that the none of them had said anything inflammatory about their ill-favoured leader. She would have surely 'dealt' with another one of them again. Despite being only shadows of their former selves, the survival instinct held true.

Beryl tapped her foot impatiently, "Well, what are you waiting for? _Go."_

The generals bowed, then turned to walk away. Endymion went to follow, but was held back by a hand on his arm.

"Stay, Prince Endymion. I wish to speak with you a moment," Beryl murmured, looking up at him from beneath her lashes.

Endymion sighed inside, "As you wish, my Queen."

"I am very impressed with your efforts Endymion. You are a _fine_ addition to our court," Beryl purred, running a nail up his arm.

Endymion resisted the urge to shrug her off, "I thank you for your compliments, my Queen. I live to serve the Negaverse," he replied flatly.

"I look forward to when we are finally victorious over this world. More specifically, when we can stand together in victory."

Endymion smirked at his Queen, "I look forward to victory too, my Queen. Please excuse me, I must go do what I can to ensure that day comes as soon as possible."

Beryl watched him go with a sparkle in her eyes, believing that he was finally coming around. Little did she know Endymion awaited the day when he could finally be rid of her, once and for all.

.

Serena sat on her bed in her bunny pyjamas staring at the golden locket. She hadn't opened it since she had broken up with _him_. His painful declaration that she was just a bit of fun, a distraction, had seen her throw the locket to the back of the closet. She couldn't help but fish it out now. With Prince Endymion back, a strange ache had grown in her heart for the man she'd once admired, and loved. Sneering slightly at the golden item, anger rose up in her at him for being on the dark side and betraying her feelings for him. Narrowing her eyes, she was sorely tempted to smash the love-token to bits against her pink bedroom wall.

"I saw your pest of a cat leave a while ago. I suppose she's not coming back for a while, huh?"

Serena looked up to see Endymion sitting in all his dark glory on her white windowsill. A shadow against the black of the night outside.

"You're not welcome here. Why don't you go run back to Beryl?" she snapped at him, hiding the locket under the pillow behind her.

"But I don't want Beryl, and I don't think you really want me to go either," he smirked, standing up to take the few steps to her bed and sit down at the other end.

Serena drew her knees up to her chest, "Even if I _were_ available, I wouldn't be available to _you_," she replied snootily, turning her nose up at him.

He chuckled, "I'd know if you had a boyfriend love."

"Then you don't know much about me," came her quick reply, her voice triumphant.

Endymion could not help the jealousy that revealed itself in his waspish reply, "Oh? And why don't you tell me then?"

"Well, if you must know I _do_ have a boyfriend," she crowed, "We're taking a break for now, what with fighting _you_ and all. So when we finally defeat the Negaverse, I'm going to decide my own destiny, thank you very much," she retorted, allowing her anger and anxiety overcome the rational part of her that screamed not to tell Endymion a _thing_ about Darien.

Endymion felt his heart speed up. He wondered if he were the boy she was talking about. If Darien were the boyfriend. Not wanting to reveal anything to her, at least not yet, he smirked at her.

"And is this boyfriend's name say... oh... Darien?" he asked softly, his voice deliberately menacing.

Serena gaped at him, allowing him a second of blissful triumph. It also allowed her, while he was occupied with his momentary bliss, to launch herself at him and wrap her hands around his neck as she straddled his waist.

"You won't _dare_ go _anywhere_ near him!"

"Well that might be a little difficult..." he goaded her.

"No, it's _not_," she hissed in his face, her nose mere inches from his.

"Well it's not like you can stop me. You haven't seen him around lately have you?" he chuckled darkly in her face, enjoying tormenting her in sweet revenge for the pain her rejection had caused him.

Serena looked at him horrified, "What have you _done_ with him?"

"I thought you broke up with him?"

"_Where is he?!"_

"You wound me Princess. I thought you would miss your Prince... it is me here after all and not him. What about someone a little more familiar?" he murmured smugly, phasing into his Tuxedo Mask transformation, his black domino twisting itself into the familiar white one.

"You're despicable," she cried, tightening her hands around his neck, her cherub face red with exertion.

He raised an eyebrow, "No? Not me? What about... _me_ then?" he whispered, phasing once again.

Serena gaped at the sight before her. Familiar tan pants, topped by a black turtleneck clothed the man beneath her... Darien. She breathed in and out several times, her eyes darting all around his face as shock overtook her.

"No... you're – you can't be. This is a trick," she gasped, sitting back and releasing his neck from her hands.

Darien sat up, a black lock falling lazily over his forehead, "No trick," he assured her, leaning forward to give her a soft kiss. He sat back on his hands, regarding her with a smile, "Yes. I think you like me best this way."

She remained speechless, still staring at him in silent shock and contemplation.

"Nothing to say? Then let me. You know how I feel. Come away with me. I have three crystals, the scouts have four. We can put the crystal back together. We can be together," he said softly, leaning forward once again to cup her face in his hands and run his nose around her face. He stopped when his forehead leant against hers, and looked up at her through sooty black lashes, "Please say yes. Say you'll be with me."

Serena looked at him through a haze of emotion. Every man she had ever wanted, past, present and seemingly future was the one and the same. Every man she had ever given her heart to stood before her, promising her the crystal and himself. She could cry with the sad irony of it that he was asking her to give up everything else she loved too.

She pushed him away.

"I can't. I won't. I won't betray my friends and family for the darkness. Nothing could even convince me to do that. _Nothing_ is worth that sacrifice," she whispered, scooting her body backwards and away from him.

His gaze transitioned from gentle desire to confusion, and finally anger.

"_Nothing_ you say?" he hissed through clenched teeth, outraged, before standing abruptly and turning to the window, "We'll see about that. I promise you, you _will_ live to regret this."

He swept out the window and launched himself into black swirl, transporting him back to the Negaverse. By the time Serena had rushed to the window to call after him, he was gone, too late to hear her own soft plea.

"You could always come back to me."

**Chapter 6: Battlefield**

All was quiet on the battle, and home fronts. Since that night, Serena hadn't seen one glimpse of Darien, Tuxedo Mask _or_ Prince Endymion. She thought she could feel his eyes on her at times, but every time she turned around there was nothing there.

"It's been really quiet," Mina muttered, her words mirroring Serena's thoughts.

"Yeah..." Serena replied non-commitally, stirring her straw through her milkshake.

"I'm glad Ami and Greg are together now. They make a really cute couple," Lita smiled from across the table at the two bookworms sharing some hot chips.

Serena didn't reply, not wanting to think about her own relationship woes.

"How are you and Andrew going?"

Mina smiled wanly, "We're good...-ish."

"-Ish?"

"Yeah... I really like him. But I don't think we are going to last forever, you know?"

Lita nodded her head toward Mina before turning her head to wave at Raye, who'd just entered the arcade, "You're only young. You don't have to be serious about anyone just yet."

Serena suppressed a shudder. If only _he_ could listen to some reason like that.

"Hey guys," Raye said quietly, slipping into the seat beside Lita.

"Hey, thought you were busy today?" Mina asked, popping a chip in her mouth.

"I was... but I felt really strange. I think something major is going to happen. Something is up," Raye replied, her brow furrowed in anxiety.

"Couldn't last forever," Lita quipped, stealing some of Mina's milkshake.

The buzzing of Ami's beeper signalled that the temporary peace had indeed come to an end.

.

Endymion was angry. Ever since he had flown from Serena's window he had been plotting hell and wrath to rain down on her. Every second of the upcoming attack was meticulously plotted. She wouldn't be able to sleep without thinking of him. He sat back in his chair satisfied with his plans. Today they would be implemented and today she would begin to understand just how big of a mistake she had made.

"Prince Endymion, the weapon is ready," Malachite's voice announced from behind him, followed by a muted roar and the monster raged in its chains.

Endymion rose and walked over to stand by the general at the door of the chambers, listening to the growls of the creature.

"Perfect. You have done well Malachite."

"As have you Prince Endymion. I am most pleased to know that we will soon be victorious," Beryl said from her thrown, surrounded by her many minions.

Endymion smirked as he strode toward her, ascending the steps of the throne to offer her his arm.

"If I may be so bold, my Queen. Let us show ourselves in force to the scouts. They should know just who they are dealing with."

Beryl's eyes glowed with happiness as she latched onto him. He led her down the dais and to the black hole that would transport them to Tokyo, the monster following in chains behind them. As they stepped through, Endymion glanced at the woman on his arm and acknowledged her twisted beauty. She had high cheekbones, curved lips and cat-like eyes, topped by a slash of red brow... and he couldn't care less. She had not the rounded cheeks of his Princess. Her eyes didn't sparkle like a blue ocean. Her lips lacked the pink hue of spring blossoms.

_Soon_, he promised himself. Soon he would have all the crystals. Soon he would return the crystals to their rightful form. Then he would take Serena away and allow the crystal to restore her memories, just as his had been. Once she remembered him, remembered _them_, she would deny him no longer._ Soon_.

Their arrival interrupted the peaceful serenity of the city they were on the cusp of attacking. With a single nod, Endymion unleashed the monster onto the unsuspecting populace. The monster, glad to be free of it's bonds, immediately began to destroy everything in sight.

"Where are the generals Endymion?" Beryl asked from beside him, her talons still latched onto his arm.

"Gathering energy elsewhere. This is a distraction," he replied simply, waiting for the scouts to arrive.

Beryl settled in next to him with a contented smirk on her face as she watched the monster wrought havoc on the buildings. People ran screaming from the scene as chunks of concrete fell from the sky above them.

"Hold on you Negacreeps!"

Endymion almost smiled at the welcome sound.

"You sailor _brat_! See the power of the Negaforce!" Beryl's cackled beside him, her shrill voicing causing him to wince.

"How dare you ruin the peace of this town! I am Sailor Moon! And on behalf of the Moon – I'll punish you! (_AN – lol, how awful was this little speech every episode? Anyone?)_

"Ignore her my Queen. She 's but an ant to the power of the Negaverse," he mumured to Beryl, making a great show of placing his arm around her waist and leaning into the witch.

"Jupiter thunder, _CRASH!"_

"Mars fire... _IGNITE! - Sailor Moon get your stupid butt out of the way!"_ Sailor Mars screamed at the ditzy blonde, who'd accidentally found herself in the line of fire.

"Aieee!" Sailor Moon screeched, darting away from the flames.

Everyone, Endymion, Beryl and the entire Negaverse cohort, sweat dropped at the blonde.

"Stupid blonde," Beryl muttered viciously, all to happy to bad mouth the girl.

Endymion stayed silent, watching the battle unfold. Thus far, Sailor Moon had completely ignored him, a fact that made anger curl up hotly inside him. It could not be borne! It would not be borne!

"Come now Sailor Moon, give into our forces. You are no match for us," he called out tauntingly as Beryl snuggled into his side while the battle raged before them.

"Did you hear something?" Sailor Venus called out, dodging a piece of concrete thrown at her.

"Hear what?" Sailor Mars yelled back gleefully.

"Are you talking to me?" Sailor Moon giggled.

"What's where?" Jupiter laughed back.

Endymion scowled as the girls mocked him, seeing that even the usually stoic Mercury had a grin on her face as she tapped away at her computer. It was completely juvenile of them and he hated their easy camaraderie. Cursing them under his breath, he yanked himself away from Beryl to get a better view of the battle.

The scouts dodged, darted, ducked and dived between attacking the monster. He couldn't see Sailor Moon now, she'd hidden herself off somewhere in preparation for her final attack. The rest of them ignored him and continued weakening the monster. They fought with all their strength, never seeming to tire. He could admire that Tokyo loved them so – they were worthy opponents.

"We can't do this alone," he heard Mercury shout, causing a smug smile to appear on his lips.

He hadn't planned on winning the way today, but he'd take what came to him.

"What are we going to do then?" Venus shouted back.

"Together!" Sailor Moon shouted, appearing in the midst of the battlefield.

How she managed to sneak around like that, he didnt know.

_Hold on... _he thought,_ what does she mean, 'together'?_

"Right!" the girls all shouted back, each of them running to stand behind their leader.

They made a formidable sight in the middle of all the destruction. Five lone warriors against a giant monster bearing down on them. Endymion watched with bated breath as Sailor Moon brought out her Tiara nd and began her incantation.

"Moon Tiara..."

To his surprise, the scouts joined her.

"Mars fire... _IGNITE!_"

"Jupiter thunder... _CRASH!_"

"Venus crescent beam... _SMASH!"_

"Mercury bubbles... _BLAST!"_

"..._ACTION!_"

The tiara glowed brighter than the sun as it flew towards the monster. Four other lights joined it – the red fire of Mars, the green and silver thunder of Jupiter, the orange beam of Venus and the blue bubbles of Mercury. Endymion noticeably winced as the attack drove directly through the monster, leaving a gaping hole in the creature. It barely groaned, so swift was its death, as it caved into thousands of shining particles.

Endymion growled his frustration. She could have been his _today_.

"My Queen," he said, turning to Beryl, "Let us go. We have done what we set out to achieve."

Beryl took his arm soundlessly, allowing him to lead her back through the portal to the Negaverse without a backward glance.

An hour later, the generals returned with the news that the scouts had defeated their energy gathering youma... but that they had collected a record level of energy. Beryl smirked in triumph on her throne, while Endymion merely turned away into his quarters – determined to see through the rest of his plan.

.

The attack did not stop at the monster. Endymion would not allow her the benefit of a good rest. So he sent one everyday.

He watched as she fought with her scouts, as she stumbled tiredly to and from the battlefield. He was there when she made her excuses to leave school and dinner at home. He heard the arguments with her parents and the disappointment of her teachers. He waited as she fell asleep, and sat beside her in the darkened room as she tossed and turned in her dreams.

He vowed that ff she would not have him, she would not have a moments peace.

He revealed his presence to her at her lowest times, when she was too tired to make the effort to ignore him. He would taunt her; offer her a way out. She always refused, and it fueled his anger. Each and every time after a refusal the youma became more vicious and difficult to defeat.

Beryl was pleased to see him so intent on her destruction, foolishly believing it was all for her. Endymion could barely contain his disdain for the woman. It was all about _her, _it had always been about her, and it would always be about her for him. Beryl could not hold a candle to _her_ light.

He began to taunt her on the battlefield, though he could not help but wince every time an attack came a little too close to her. The old instinct would rise up in him, and he would have to force his feet to stay where they were, lest he swoop in and take her away. But that would not do. He needed her back, and for that he needed the crystals.

"You poor silly girl," he taunted her, watching as she heaved in air, "It won't stop. I will never stop."

She never replied to him. He stepped back, knowing soon she would see reason. She would not last much longer. She was tired and her efforts were getting desperate.

"Sailor Moon_, WATCH OUT!_" a strangled cry came.

Endymion snapped his head up, watching in slow motion as paper-thin blades sliced through the air straight at Sailor Moon. She stumbled, and he knew it would be too late for her to move herself. She was too tired. His heart caught in his throat, knowing he would not reach her in time, even as he raced toward her. She was just out of his reach.

A slash of green slammed into her, and he shouted his anger – turning toward the youma responsible and destroying it with one burst of dark energy. Turning back to Sailor Moon, he saw to his relief that Sailor Jupiter, and not the blades, had been the slash of green that had saved her. Guilt and disbelief that he had almost killed her ate at him, and he disappeared back to the Negaverse.

To his utter dismay, Beryl had been watching the battle from her throne. Youma surrounded her, while the generals stood silently to the side.

"Well done, Endymion. It is a shame that the green one saved her, but next time mm?" she cackled, her face twisted into a leer of shameless joy. She looked back to the screen, "Where is my monster?"

"Mars got it," he lied flatly before turning away toward his chambers.

Behind him, Beryl watched him go. Suspicion creeping up her spine.

**Chapter 7: A Woman Scorned**

With an almighty scream, the priceless vase was thrown across the room to explode into thousands of pieces against the black marble wall. The red-haired witch scowled and screamed again as she threw yet another priceless artefact across the room, her chest heaving with the effort.

_He's mine!_

Another vase destroyed...

_If I can't have him,_

A mirror smashed...

_NO-ONE CAN!_

The chandelier shattered.

A knock at the door.

"_WHAT!?"_

"My Queen – he, … he is leaving," the minion squeaked nervously, hiding partly behind the safety of the door.

A cruel, red, smile painted her twisted face as she followed her unfaithful Prince to Earth.

Behind her, four concerned generals slid from the shadows...

.

"She knows..." Malachite murmured to the three generals beside him as they surveyed the battlefield.

"Or at least strongly suspects," Nephrite agreed.

The generals surveyed the battlefield from their hidden position atop a nearby building. Hidden by a cloaking charm, they stood as four dark guardians ready to intervene at the behest of their Prince.

Endymion, they saw, sat leisurely upon a bench while the Scouts battled the monster's he'd unleashed. Jupiter was currently fighting a squid-like youma, Venus and Mercury were battling a blob-like monster, while Sailor Moon and Mars were dodging the stinging arrows of a flying wasp-like creature.

"Give up Sailor Moon! You know you're not strong enough to defeat me," Endymion stated in a bored tone, casually checking his nails.

"Watch me!" she screamed back defiantly, struggling to free herself from the darts that were pinning her to the ground.

"Where is Beryl?" Zoicite muttered worriedly, "She's up to something."

"Just hope that whatever she is looking for she doesn't find it," Nephrite replied hopelessly, knowing that even Beryl having the merest suspicion of Endymion's true inclinations was not a good thing.

"_Venus crescent V – smash!"_

The generals looked on as a stream of golden crescents destroyed the squid. Venus and Mercury barely noted the monster's demise before going to help Jupiter with the blob creature.

"Just one word Sailor Moon... just one word and it could all be over..." Endymion taunted the rapidly tiring heroine.

"_Never!_"

"Not quite the word I was looking for..." he replied, a wry smile playing on his lips.

"_Jupiter, thunder, - CRASH!_"

A lightening bolt from the sky hit the blob youma, which had been previously frozen by Mercury's ice attack. The youma exploded, the parts falling onto the grassy area and melting into the ground. Quickly turning, the three scouts hurried to help Sailor Moon and Mars.

"_Venus love chain!"_ Venus called, the heart-link chain easily finding the wasp and wrapping it in it's unbreakable coil.

"Come on now Sailor Moon... you know you want to..." Endymion purred, completely at ease with seeing his monster semi-defeated.

"We'll never surrender!" Mars shot back defiantly, sending a ball of fire at the captured wasp-creature, the attack singing its wings off.

"Ever!" Jupiter added, kicking the creature in the head.

"Right!" Mercury called out.

"_Moon Tiara... ACTION!_" Sailor Moon finished, the attack slicing through the youma and destroying it.

She moved to stand with her scouts, her arms folded and stance proud as she stared Endymion down. The generals chuckled softly at their post, enjoying the show.

A lazy smile appeared on Endymion's lips, "I'm still waiting Sailor Moon."

"Yes. And I said 'never'," she retorted, her fingers making air quotes around the negative response.

"Yeah. We'll never surrender to you Negacreeps. So why don't you just buzz off?" Jupiter sneered.

"We've defeated all your monsters. You can't defeat us," Mars added proudly, her chin tilted high despite her obvious fatigue.

Endymion's smile grew upon his face. He clicked his fingers, and momentarily seven more youma appeared behind him.

"I don't want your _surrender_," Endymion said softly, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

"What _do_ you want?" Mars snapped, warily eyeing the youma behind him.

"I want _her_," he replied simply.

The scouts stood dumbfounded, their eyes wide saucers of surprise as they stared at him. They looked to one another before turning back to him as they took a defensive position around Sailor Moon.

"NEVER!" they shouted.

He sneered at them, looking to Sailor Moon, "Then I'm glad it's not your decision. Princess, you know what I want. If you come with me, I'll spare your friends. If you don't, I won't stop the attacks. They will never cease. I have a virtually endless supply of youma at my disposal," he threatened her, standing from the bench to look down at her from his imposing height.

"Don't do it Sailor Moon," Mercury whispered.

"We'll fight to the death for you. Don't let him push you around," Mars vowed.

"Right," Jupiter added, while Venus nodded supportively.

A gleam of tears appeared in Sailor Moon's eyes as her friends stood by her, ready to protect her with their lives. She took a defensive stance, ready to respect their wishes. They would stand together.

"And I told you, Endymion. I could never come to you in the darkness," she said softly, her expression sorrowful as she took in his dark scowl, "But you could always come back to the light."

"Come _back_ to the light?" Mars growled, "What are you talking about?"

Sailor Moon's eye's stayed on Endymion as he visibly swayed at the power of the promise in her words.

"You mean...?"

"Yes. _Come with me_. We could be together like we used to be."

"You left me," he croaked out hoarsely, his emotions bubbling over his usual stoic facade.

"To _protect_ you. I didn't know then that you were my past, as Endymion, my present as Tuxedo Mask, and my future as Darien," she replied passionately, willing him to hear her sincerity.

"_Darien?!" _the scouts gasped.

Sailor Moon continued, "I was confused. I had feelings for three men in my life and I could only choose the one. I had no idea..." she trailed off, her face full of wonderment as she looked at him, "I had no idea that you were all the one and the same."

"I felt the same way about the Princess," he confessed, fading back to Tuxedo Mask. "I always felt the call to protect Sailor Moon, but the Princess called to me in my sleep. Then you were there in my waking hours... the thorn in my side, Meatball Head. You got under m skin no matter who you were."

She stepped toward him, reaching a hand out to him. He faded again, and when the transformation was complete he was Darien Chiba. The scouts gasped as he reached to take her hand...

An enraged, jealousy-fuelled scream tore its way through the moment, followed by a shrill scream of fear and horror as Sailor Moon watched Queen Beryl appear behind Darien and shove a dark crystal straight through his heart.

**Chapter 8: The Final Battle**

Beryl stepped away from Darien, a vicious and triumphant glint in her eye as she watched Sailor Moon fall to her knees to clutch at her fallen lover.

"_Darien_," the terrified blonde sobbed as his blood spilled from the wound.

Darien looked up at Sailor Moon with glassy eyes. The wound was fatal, and within seconds the light from his eyes faded and his head lolled back lifelessly, rending another heart wrenching scream from Sailor Moon.

Beryl cackled at the sight. Glad to have had her second vengeance on the Princess, and this time there was no Imperium Crystal to save her!

"Aw... did the little girl lose a boyfriend?" the red head cooed cruelly.

Sailor Moon sniffled from beneath her blonde bangs, "You'll pay for this Beryl. With your life."

Beryl sneered back at her, "I have enough energy to kill you all! You'll die here and now with your pathetic lover. I've no more use for him!"

With a battle cry, Beryl brought her hands together with a clap. The action produced a large dark ball of energy, which she flung straight at Sailor Moon. The dark ball bore down on the blonde, but at the last minute she leapt out of the way to rejoin the scouts.

"I swear today you will die Beryl. Even if I die with you!" Sailor Moon vowed, her eyes flat and her voice hollow.

"All talk you Sailor Brat! _DIE!_"

Another ball of dark energy flew at the scouts, forcing them to leap out of the way yet again.

"We can't beat her alone!" Jupiter shouted.

"We'll do it together!" Sailor Moon shouted back, "Just like the last time!"

"Right!" the girls all replied.

Standing together, the scouts called out their attacks one by one, sending them to merge with Sailor Moon's.

"Moon Tiara..."

"Mars fire... _IGNITE!_"

"Jupiter thunder... _CRASH!_"

"Venus crescent beam... _SMASH!"_

"Mercury bubbles... _BLAST!"_

"..._ACTION!_"

The attack shone brightly in the sky, a comet of justice it flew at Beryl with ferocious intent. The witch flinched as the energy washed over her, and screamed when she felt its hot healing properties burning into her skin. The Sailor Scouts watched in awe as the light overtook Beryl, excitement rising in them when she failed to avoid it. Her screams were victory to them, and they whooped with joy.

Sailor Moon made to run to Darien, only to see him in the care of the generals who had maintained their distance during the battle.

"Let him go Negatrash!" she screamed.

"We are only helping him Sailor Moon. Trust us in this," Zoicite replied smoothly as he worked upon Darien's lifeless body.

"What are you doing to him? Stop!" she cried, frightened.

"We are loyal to Endymion, Princess. We will not harm him, nor you. Not anymore," Malachite replied, his voice stately and stance relaxed.

"How will you help him?" Mercury inquired curiously, watching as all Zoicite employed all manner of devices and crystals over Darien's prone form.

"Energy can heal him," Zoicite muttered.

"Not dark energy!" Jupiter gasped.

"No, not dark or light. Just energy," Zoicite replied, his tone frustrated, "But I do not have enough. The Imperium Crystal could help him, but we are running out of time. There is only a small window of opportunity."

"Where is the crystal?" Sailor Moon shouted at him, panicking at the chance of losing Darien for good.

"The crystals must be joined. Then the true owner of the crystal must call upon its powers to heal Endymion."

"Where are they? We only have the four..."

A sudden explosion of dark energy around them and a crazed cackle of laughter tore up the ground all around the park. Uprooted trees, rocks and earth fell and suddenly hung in the air as the dark energy gathered around the shadow before them.

"You did not think to get rid of me so easily, did you Sailor Moon? I am ten times more powerful than you! You'll never win!" Beryl screamed, her madness evident in her voice.

Another explosion rocked the ground, and the girls fell to their knees while the generals were thrown backwards with Darien's body.

"You must get the crystals, Sailor Moon!" Venus hissed, handing Sailor Moon her crystal.

"It's our only chance! The Imperium Crystal is our only hope!" Mercury agreed as she, Jupiter and Mars passed their crystals to Sailor Moon.

"But where are the three?" Sailor Moon worried, hiding from Beryl's sight through the haze of the debris.

"Call them!"

Sailor Moon closed her eyes, painfully aware she was calling the crystals from her dead lover's body.

"Suishoo Koi!" she called out loud, alerting Beryl to her location.

Just as the crystals shot into her outstretched hand, a ball of dark energy tore recklessly toward her. The scouts, seeing Sailor Moon in danger but unable to reach her, screamed in horror as the black ball engulfed her body.

The scouts and generals gaped as their only saviour and hope disappeared before their eyes. Beryl's evil cackle filled the air as she crowed her victory over the girl.

"Finally! After all these years and she's gone!" the evil witch laughed malevolently before sneering at the teary expressions on the faces of the scouts.

"She can't be!" Mars shouted, angry tears coursing down her face as the black ball began to cave in on its victim.

"Serena!" Venus cried, uncaring if she revealed her friend's identity.

The black ball grew smaller and smaller, the dark energy crackling around the edges as it crushed whatever was inside. All of a sudden, it stopped shrinking and the world stilled in a pregnant pause as every living thing waited with bated breath to see what would happen.

A brilliant ray of light shone through the darkness, piercing the black orb. Another light joined it, and then another, until a sheaf of light broke through, and the ball broke apart. The blackness disappearing with the brilliance of the light within. The scouts, generals and Beryl squinted their eyes at the light, which shone brighter than a star in what was left of the park.

"_What!?"_ Beryl screeched disbelievingly.

The light faded slightly, leaving only random rays sparking from the being revealed within. She stood tall and proud, dressed in a white flowing gown. A tiara adorned her blonde head, and her blue eyes spoke of compassion and justice. In her hands, a sceptre of judgement lay, the Imperium Crystal shining brightly from its place.

"Princess Serenity!" Malachite breathed out in awe.

"_YOU!_" Beryl screamed, a ball of dark energy pooling in her hand.

"I told you, you would pay with your life Beryl," Serenity said calmly, aiming her sceptre at the witch.

"And I told _you!_ The only one to die today will be _YOU_!" Beryl cried, casting the dark energy at the Princess and holding onto it as she put her full weight behind the stream.

Immediately, Serenity called upon the power of the crystal to protect her, and sent her own light attack back to Beryl. The two streams crashed into eachother, the power of it jarring both Beryl and Serenity. Enraged, Beryl poured herself into the connection, sending every ounce of power she had down the line. Serenity stumbled under the effort, but held strong to the sceptre.

"What should we do?" Jupiter cried from the sidelines, watching as the power struggle sent the dark power forward, until the light overcame it and sent it back toward Beryl.

"We should help!" Mars cried, getting up to race over to Serenity.

The scouts followed her, coming up behind Serenity to stand with her.

"Stay back! Stay safe!" Serenity cried out to them as she held desperately to the stream of light energy pulsing from her wand.

"We're with you to the end Meatball Head!" Mars shouted back.

"What are we waiting for!?" Venus yelled, "Sailor Senshei power!"

Mars, Jupiter and Mercury followed Venus' lead, calling upon their combined senshei powers and sending it to their Princess. Slowly, slowly, the power trickled through her to the Imperium Crystal and through the connection. Beryl cackled, sending more power out, but Serenity did not buckle. The pulse of white light grew stronger with each second until the light began to gain more and more ground on the dark. Closer and closer it crept to Beryl, the dark power becoming undone against the combined efforts of the Sailor Scouts. Beryl screamed, realising that no matter how much power she sent the light stayed strong and sure, and came closer and closer to her. She watched with horror as the light reached her hands to envelop her arms. With a wretched scream, the air was torn from her lungs as the light energy overpowered every ounce of darkness within her. Within the ball of light, her body exploded into ash as the light finally overcame the darkness.

Serenity fell to her knees at seeing the witch's demise. Breathing heavily, she immediately turned her eyes to the generals tending to Darien. She was met with a shocking sight as the generals smiled sadly at her, their skin greying and fading away as they too turned to ash. Their bodies disappeared with the wind, leaving only 3 emerald crystals falling to the ground around Darien.

Ignoring the pain in her body, Serenity crawled over to her dead lover to take him up into her arms. She cried over his cooling body, her hot tears cascading down his peaceful face.

"_Darien... please come back! I love you! Please... I wish none of this ever happened. I just want to be with you... like we were always meant to be..."_ she sobbed incoherently, barely noticing as her four friends gathered sadly around her.

With the battle over, they took the time to cry with their Princess. The war had finally been won, but at the cost of their broken hearts.

**Chapter 9: Consequences of a Wish**

The silver crystal beside Serena lights up and takes them back to the water youma in the first story. Instead of saving Tuxedo Mask, she hesitates and he jumps out of the way. She isnt hurt and there is no need for him to whisk her away. He leaves mysteriously and she has a strange feeling of deja vu.

**Chapter 10: Full Circle**

Trista sighed, watching as the King and Queen resumed their young lives in her endless hall of mirrors. The consequences of Serena's wish had been like watching the ripples of time contract and reverse as the story of their lives turned course. What was meant to be had changed, and for a while it had seemed as if all roads would lead to Crystal Tokyo. But it was not to be. Crystal Tokyo needed its King. More importantly, Serenity needed her Endymion.

"It seems I have lived a thousand lives, and yet only one do I remember."

"Your highness," Trista replied, bowing low to her Queen.

Neo-Queen Serenity stood tall before her trusted soldier. The hall was filled with her presence. Her very being bespoke joy and life. She motioned for Trista to stand, smiling gently as she humbly accepted the green-haired woman's obeisance.

"The timeline changes before my very eyes, majesty."

"I am still here," Serenity interjected softly.

"I fear for you both. You walk a knife's edge, milady. You are here, but what is _**here**_? Here is _**not yet**__._ You _**are**_ there," Trista pointed to the mirror, speaking quietly but with passion, "I should not have interfered when I did."

"No?"

"No! It is against the law of this realm!"

"And yet you too are still here," Serenity replied with endless patience.

"And how I am, I do not know."

"Should you know?"

Trista smiled a wry smile, "You are very annoying your majesty."

In a moment of childishness, Neo-Queen Serenity poked out her tongue. Trista responded in kind until both ladies found themselves giggling hysterically.

After a moment in which they both regained their composure, Serenity spoke, "We are still here, Trista. We are at the whim of fate," she shrugged elegantly, expressing her acceptance of her destiny – whatever it may be.

"It is hard, milady."

"It is what it is. We all have our part to play."

"I know, highness. That does not make it any easier."

"I know too," Serenity sighed, "But there are many happy times to come, although," Serenity grimaced at the scene in the mirror, "It seems there will be some painful realities too."

Trista turned to the mirror to see Darien and Serena. They were fighting again. Darien had been his usual arrogant self. Serena had responded with the passion of her youth.

"Diamond is coming," Trista murmured, motioning to another mirror bearing a dark crescent symbol in a pale forehead.

Serenity pursed her lips, "Let him come. The wizard will be dealt with."

"You are far too forgiving for your own good," Trista muttered mutinously, "Letting that man go after what he did."

"And it was _my_ choice to forgive him," Serenity replied, "The wizard was different."

"I'd have killed Diamond."

"Then aren't we glad that I am Queen and not you!"

Thus began another round of tongues being poked out at eachother. The women laughed, their gazes returning to the screen.

"You know, I really wish I had wished that I could go back only a few moments to save Darien. Now we'll have to go through this all again," Serenity snorted, waving at the fighting couple on the scene.

Trista shrugged, her eyes on the scene, "I think things are happening just as they are meant to."

...

In Tokyo, a young blonde girl stood toe to toe with a handsome, dark haired college graduate. Her blue eyes flashed as she shouted her annoyance at him, while sunglasses hid the darker blue of his. It was a fight they would not remember. Just one more encounter in a stream of many – perhaps more than they could truly count had they been aware of the eyes on the mirror, watching them.

The crowd was thick on the sidewalk, jostling them both as they fought to maintain their temporarily chosen square foot of concrete. A particularly hard shove by the crowd dislodged the golden locket in Serena's pocket. It fell to the ground with a clunk, its clasp opening to whisper a few notes of a melody from an era waiting to be remembered. The sound surprised them both, until Serena quickly scooped the precious object up, closed and away to the safety of her school bag. Darien's own shock at the sound was deepened by a perfect red rose falling of its own will from his jacket to lay at Serena's feet. As Serena looked down to see the rose, he hastened away, shaken by the strangest and strongest sense of déjà vu. He was gone by the time she looked back up, her own thoughts whirling of moonlit nights and forbidden love.

...

"I believe you are right Trista," Serenity said as she watched the scene, "Things are happening just as they should."


End file.
